After the milk ball arrived, the father who had no heirs had a string of good luck.

"Princess, what a great favor..." Manager Deng was so happy he almost cried.

Who doesn't want their family to be reunited?

Who wants to be separated from their family?

He had wanted to bring his family over since he was young.

But in the capital city, right under the emperor's nose, land is incredibly expensive, and even the worst house is beyond his means!

He wanted to rent a courtyard house, but then he ran into that shrewish Situ Qiang. In the past two years, he hasn't saved any money at all; his pockets are emptier than his face.

Now Tang Rui has shown them mercy, giving them a place to live and jobs.

This was already an immense favor to him.

Tang Rui waved her hand: "I've said it before, as long as you serve me well, I won't treat you unfairly. Alright, hurry up and take Da Ge and Er Ge with you. They know a little martial arts. You can also bring a few servants from the manor with you. Don't worry about your family's safety."

"Yes, thank you, Princess, thank you, Princess..." Manager Deng turned his back to wipe his tears, then knelt and kowtowed three times to Tang Rui before leaving with Da Ge and Er Ge.

They had barely left when a servant came to report that Situ An, Gu Nanyu, and Situ Tan had all arrived.

Tang Rui wanted to have them invited in, but Rong Momo said that men were not allowed to enter a woman's boudoir.

Left with no other option, Tang Rui had someone invite them to the pavilion by the artificial lake.

When she finished washing up and rushed over, she saw Mingyue standing in front of Gu Nanyu like a statue, her arms wrapped around her sword, staring at him expressionlessly.

In contrast, her three friends...

Situ An looked at Mingyue as if she were a lunatic.

Situ Tan looked embarrassed.

Gu Nanyu maintained his deadpan expression, completely ignoring Mingyue's death stare as if he didn't exist.

"Uh... what kind of peculiar art style is this?"

As soon as Tang Rui spoke, her three friends immediately looked over.

"Zhaohua, are you feeling better?" Situ Tan immediately stood up, his eyes scanning her like an X-ray.

"Of course, look at me, am I not in good enough shape?" Tang Rui said, then looked at Mingyue and Gu Nanyu beside her: "What's going on with those two?"

Situ An, carrying a large food box, quietly approached and whispered to Tang Rui, "We don't know either. This guy in black has been staring at Gu Nanyu ever since he arrived. He won't say a word no matter what we ask him."

Tang Rui tilted her head, a big question mark appearing above her head: "Mingyue, what are you doing?"

You can ignore others, but you can't ignore Tang Rui!

Mingyue finally withdrew her gaze, her face serious and solemn: "By order of the Prince, I am keeping an eye on the Gu family boy. I am doing so now."

The three friends: "..."

Tang Rui was speechless: "...Why are you staring at him?"

Mingyue honestly confessed everything: "The prince said that the Gu family's son wants to steal his little cabbage, and he told me to keep an eye on things so that the Gu family's son doesn't steal the little cabbage ahead of time."

Tang Rui: "..."

The three friends: "..."

I never imagined that someone in this world could leave them speechless twice in a row with just two sentences.

Even someone as half-mad as Gu Nanyu was somewhat baffled by his and Prince Li's thought processes: "This...brother, I'm only eleven..."

Mingyue retorted, "What does this have to do with you wanting to seduce someone?"

Gu Nanyu: "??"

How can it be okay?

I'm too young, my tools aren't even fully developed yet, what am I supposed to use to attack?

One person genuinely didn't understand the other's explanation, while the other was speechless, baffled by the other's thought process. The two, one big and one small, stared at each other.

Tang Ruixi, who never misses a good show, clutched her heart, her eyes sparkling.

Mingyue is quite good-looking, and her temperament is very similar to that of a young man in a modern tomb raiding movie.

Leaving aside Gu Nanyu's face, his temperament is aloof and cold.

They have such great chemistry!

Tang Rui's smile gradually turned lewd as she whispered to Situ An and Situ Tan, "Have you noticed? They're such a perfect match..."

Before she could finish saying "ah," Situ An and Situ Tan's expressions changed drastically, and they quickly covered her mouth from one side to the other.

Tang Rui blinked her innocent big eyes at them, conveying with her eyes—what are you doing?

Situ An whispered, "Don't say that, Gu Nanyu will really get angry!"

Situ Tan nodded, his face serious: "I will definitely get angry!"

Tang Rui: "??"

Gu Nanyu doesn't seem like someone who can't take a joke!

Why would someone get angry at such an impossible joke?

Is it...

Tang Rui recalled what Situ An had said before, that Gu Nanyu had been abducted by human traffickers when he was a child.

Did something bad happen to him at that time?

Thinking of all this, Tang Rui's eyes showed a hint of sympathy. She pried their hands apart and said, "Mingyue, don't bully Gu Nanyu. If you want to keep an eye on him, go do it from the shadows!"

"Okay!" Mingyue vanished from the spot in a flash, as if she had never been there at all.

"Come, come, have something to eat first. These snacks were all made by the imperial chefs in the palace. My mother specially asked me to bring them for you to try!" Situ An opened the food box and took out plates of exquisite snacks.

What kind of layered oil cake, almond shortbread, ox tongue cookies...

Tang Rui stared longingly at the food that looked so good and delicious, silently swallowing.

I want to eat it, I love to eat it…

But she had promised Granny Yuan that she would control her diet properly.

But... eating just a little bit shouldn't be a problem, right?

"I also brought a gift!" Situ Tan handed a beautiful brocade box to Tang Rui: "Zhaohua, this is a Purple Wolf Hair Brush. The handle is carved from rare purple jade. Do you like it?"

Purple jade?

Tang Rui opened the box and took a peek, almost blinding her own titanium alloy eyes.

Purple jade is already rare, and even a tiny bit can fetch an astronomical price.

But the entire handle of this pen is made of purple jade and is carved with exquisite orchids, making it very beautiful.

I do like it, but...

"Brother Tan, this is too precious, I can't accept it."

"Is this pen more valuable than my life? You saved me..." And not just once.

Situ Tan paused for a moment, then said, "I really don't know how to thank you. I personally went to the storeroom to choose this pen, so please accept it!"

"Hey~ You said yourself that you're my brother, so it's normal for a sister to protect her brother."

Tang Rui couldn't refuse Situ Tan's kind offer and finally had to accept it.

The four friends chatted and laughed for a while, and seeing that it was getting late, the three of them said goodbye.

Before leaving, Gu Nanyu deliberately lagged behind the two of them by a few steps, walking alongside Tang Rui, and casually took out a brocade box and stuffed it directly into her hand: "This is for you."

"You brought a gift too? My birthday isn't here yet!" Tang Rui said as she opened the box.

A translucent, emerald-green xun lay quietly inside, about the size of an adult woman's fist, and most importantly, its quality...

I go!

Imperial Green?

Tang Rui rubbed her eyes and looked again. The emerald green xun was translucent and moist, still lying quietly inside.

Seeing her surprised expression, Gu Nanyu subtly shifted his gaze: "I once heard Miaozhu say that you know how to make Gu, and I also found it in unofficial history. Those who control Gu have a medium to command the Gu worms, and this medium is usually music. This Xun is called Biluan, and its tone is ancient and mellow. You should be able to use it."