Fang Tianze just laughed, a truly joyful laugh, so much so that Yuan Mengzhu, who had followed him, could no longer bring herself to utter any displeased words.
"Madam Fang." Yang Ruxin first nodded slightly toward Yuan Mengzhu, then turned her attention to Fang Tianze, "It seems your complexion has improved greatly."
"The medicine that Doctor Wang prescribed is more effective than the previous ones," Fang Tianze replied with a smile, "Sister, is it fun living in the countryside? What do the children there play with?"
Yang Ruxin glanced at Yuan Mengzhu, somewhat at a loss as to how to respond.
"Miss Yang." Yuan Mengzhu sighed internally, it really was rare to see her son this happy and talkative, she truly couldn’t bear to dampen his spirits, "You just have a good chat with Zeze. I’m grateful to you." After instructing the servants to bring some fruits and pastries, she surprisingly led everyone out.
"I hope that Yang Ruxin isn’t here with a purpose," Yuan Mengzhu couldn’t help but sigh as she exited the floral hall.
"Madam," Aqiu chuckled, "It’s rare for the young master to be this happy. Even if she has an ulterior motive, what of it? A girl from the countryside can’t turn the world upside down, can she?"
Yuan Mengzhu turned to look at Aqiu and suddenly smiled, "Aqiu, you..."
"This old servant just thinks that as long as the young master is happy, that’s all that matters..." Aqiu was straightforward, "The young master is such a clever child, he knows full well who treats him kindly and who doesn’t. Madam, rest assured, it’s just a pity for such a good person..." Her voice choked up suddenly, but she quickly sniffed, "This old servant deserves to be punished for making madam upset..."
"Ah!" Yuan Mengzhu gave a wry smile, "Enough said, you’re right, as long as Zeze is happy, that’s good..." Then she turned and walked towards her own courtyard, but after only a few steps, she saw Fang Dehua approaching and stopped quickly, "My lord."
"Madam, is that Miss Yang still here?" Fang Dehua looked toward the small floral hall.
Yuan Mengzhu nodded.
"You’d better take good care of her," Fang Dehua rubbed his hands.
"I know," Yuan Mengzhu frowned slightly, "Do you really worry that I’ll mistreat her?" she retorted, rolling her eyes.
"Not to keep anything from madam, but I’m actually afraid of just that," Fang Dehua honestly nodded.
"You..."
"Don’t be hasty," Fang Dehua took Yuan Mengzhu’s hand and moved aside, lowering his voice a bit, "Do you know whose person she is?"
"Ah?"
"That matter of the female household, the Prince came to see me in person many days ago..."
"The eighth Prince..." Yuan Mengzhu’s eyes instantly widened.
"Right." Fang Dehua nodded, "So, the girl from the countryside isn’t simple." He paused, "As you should know, the eighth is the brother the Crown Prince values most... I’ve been in Baihua County for five years now; whether I can move up next year not only depends on my performance but also on gaining favor from the right people..." Despite his shallow roots and disdain for factional politics, he, like everyone else, still aspired to rise higher.
Yuan Mengzhu nodded quickly, "Don’t worry, I haven’t neglected her, and from the looks of it, she seems to be quite fond of Tianze..." To think that the girl had connections with the Crown Prince—it was fortunate that every time she wanted to say something negative, her son intervened.
Fang Dehua’s brow furrowed.