"I understand what Ninth Sister means," Yang Chengrong said, leaning in to kiss Xiao Wanxue on the forehead, his gaze deep with unwavering affection, his expression resolute, "No matter what happens, Wan'er will always be the only wife I have in this life. I will love her, cherish her, and protect her doubly, never again shall she be hurt!"

Yang Mengchen nodded with relief, "I believe Big Brother keeps his word!"

Looking first at Yang Chengrong and then at Yang Mengchen, Long Xuanmo's eyes were as unfathomable as the ocean, his face expressionless, his thoughts indecipherable.

Mo Yun and the Hidden Guards felt a deep respect in their hearts. After all, with his fiancée involved in such an incident, many men would have decisively called off the engagement, but Yang Chengrong did not do that. He truly was responsible, committed, and deeply affectionate.

"Big Brother, give this pill to Sister Wanxue to take," Yang Mengchen said as she took out a pill and handed it to Yang Chengrong.

After Xiao Wanxue had swallowed the pill, Yang Mengchen crouched and whispered in her ear, "My name is Xiao Wanxue. Today, I went to the street to buy fabric to make clothes for my brother or sister. I met Big Brother Yang, Fourth Brother Yang, and Sister Mengchen. Seeing that Big Brother Yang had lost weight, I felt a pang of distress, so I asked to go to the Yang family to help.

That way, Big Brother Yang could get some proper rest." She said it three times in a row, her voice gentle and soft, irresistibly captivating.

Seeing the sweet curve on Xiao Wanxue's lips and the faint blush on her beautiful face, Yang Mengchen breathed a sigh of relief, "Big Brother can rest assured, when Sister Wanxue wakes up, she will have forgotten today's events. As long as no one deliberately provokes her, Sister Wanxue will never know."

That master of traditional Chinese medicine in her previous life, as well as her friend Lan Ling, had both taught her this method of psychological suggestion. They said that people are actually conscious in such a state. She had personally experienced it too, and with the aid of medicine, the effect was very good.

"Thank you, Ninth Sister!" Yang Chengrong's eyes moistened with gratitude. If not for his sister's thoughtful consideration, he dared not imagine the sorrow and despair Wan'er would feel upon waking and learning of her ordeal.

Yang Mengchen gently patted Yang Chengrong's shoulder, "We will always be one family," her gaze moving calmly over Long Xuanmo, Mo Yun, and several shadows.

The young girl's distrust was a complete surprise to Long Xuanmo. He looked at her, his deep eyes unfathomable, his lips nearly pressed into a straight line.

Sensing the Prince's displeasure, Mo Yun instinctively stepped back, "Ms. Yang, please rest assured, we guarantee to keep this matter to ourselves. Otherwise, Ms. Yang may deal with us as she sees fit!"

Voices from the shadows echoed in agreement. They still wanted Ms. Yang's antiseptic medicine, but more importantly, the Prince cared a lot about Ms. Yang. Hadn't they seen that because Mo Ju failed to protect Ms. Yang's sister-in-law, he was punished by being sent to the penal court?

They did not want to repeat the same mistake.

Yang Mengchen paid them no heed and proceeded to use psychological suggestion on Zi Jin as well.

"Reporting to the Prince, the Colored Clothing Embroidery Store has been sealed, and all involved are kept under secret guard. Please give your instructions, Prince!" said the Hidden Guard, who had gone to execute the orders, as he handed two sets of women's clothing to Yang Mengchen, "Ms. Yang, I picked these up at random. I'm not sure if they will fit. I've also arranged a carriage for Ms. Yang."

"Thank you for your thoughtfulness," Yang Mengchen smiled and nodded, giving him a bottle of antiseptic medicine and a Detoxification Pill in return.

Mo Yun and the other Hidden Guards looked at Qing Hen with envy, their eyes blazing with desire for Ms. Yang's favor, while regretting that they hadn't thought of this themselves.

Qing Hen, naturally delighted, grinned broadly, but seeing the Prince's profound gaze, his heart skipped a beat, and he quickly stashed the items in his chest and vanished swiftly into the shadows.

After signaling the men to leave, Yang Mengchen changed Xiao Wanxue and Zi Jin into new clothes and quickly helped them wash up. Except for the wound on Zi Jin's forehead, they showed no signs of the ordeal. Only then did she call for Yang Chengrong and Yang Chenghong to come in.

"Big Brother, Fourth Brother, take Sister Wanxue and Zi Jin back. Tell Grandma and the others that Sister Wanxue and Zi Jin fainted from heatstroke on the street, and we happened to see them and brought them home. I'm going to the County Office now to alleviate Aunty Xiao's worry, and I also need to talk to Uncle Xiao about some matters."

"Be careful, Ninth Sister," Yang Chengrong said with a meaningful glance at Long Xuanmo, as he lifted Xiao Wanxue and Yang Chenghong carried Zi Jin and quickly departed.

Ignoring the warning looks from his brothers, Long Xuanmo secretly rejoiced that he could finally be alone with the young girl, but his cold, reserved face betrayed nothing.

After instructing Qing Hen to take care of the aftermath, Long Xuanmo and Yang Mengchen left the small courtyard and headed for the County Office.

"I'll arrange for Mo Lan to come and protect Xiao Wanxue. Mo Lan is calm and intelligent, and she is highly skilled in martial arts; rest assured, there won't be any more slip-ups." Eager to have some alone time with the young girl, who hadn't said a word, Long Xuanmo had to resort to making small talk.

Yang Mengchen leaned back against the soft cushion with her eyes slightly narrowed, not saying a word.

"Qing Hen has found out that the proprietress of the Colored Clothing Embroidery Store has an intimate relationship with County Lord Zhu, which is why she helped Zhu Fugui. The others weren't aware. How would you like to deal with it?"

"Since the two of them share such a strong bond, they should share their fate! As for the others, let them go."

"And what about County Lord Zhu?"

"County Lord Zhu has been in an improper official position and has been bribing for many years. The Prince is wise and valiant, but it's up to the Prince to decide."

"I'll take that as a sincere compliment," Long Xuanmo said, his lips curving into a slight smile.

He had heard many flattering and respectful words since he was young, but today, hearing the young girl call him wise and valiant twice, even if it was both a compliment and a veiled insult, he found it especially pleasant to the ear: "I will make County Lord Zhu's crimes known publicly and have him beheaded as a warning to others!

Besides, I'll send someone to escort Magistrate Su back to the capital for my father to deal with. Are you satisfied with this?"

Instead of answering, Yang Mengchen counter-asked, "Does the Prince truly believe this insect calamity is a natural disaster?"

Long Xuanmo was silent.

"The Prince must have guessed that I can understand the language of animals," Yang Mengchen said as she opened her eyes to look at Long Xuanmo. "If it was truly a natural disaster, the animals would naturally have warned me in advance. And according to the records, the Tingidae couldn't possibly have harmed all the rice fields in Yongchang Town's villages overnight."

Long Xuanmo gazed at Yang Mengchen intensely without blinking an eye.

"If it's not a natural disaster, then it can only be a man-made catastrophe. So, who on earth has the power to create such a massive insect infestation? And why Yongchang Town of all places? What is the purpose of this person's actions?"

After a long pause, Long Xuanmo said in a deep voice, "I will arrange for Mo Mei to come and protect you later."

Whether Long Xuanmo sent someone for protection or to keep an eye on her, Yang Mengchen didn't refuse.

Upon returning to the County Office, Long Xuanmo summoned Xiao Hongtao to the study to discuss matters. Yang Mengchen explained to Lady Xiao why Xiao Wanxue and her oldest and fourth brothers hadn't come home.

Lady Xiao didn't overthink it and even encouraged Xiao Wanxue to visit the Yang family more often, to cultivate a good relationship with Chengrong, so that they could be a loving couple after getting married.

After taking leave of Xiao Hongtao and his wife, Yang Mengchen left with Qing Qing (whom Long Xuanmo had specifically ordered to escort her home) and first stopped by the Drunken Immortal Tavern, which was now bustling with business every day.

"Little sister, why have you come alone?" As Yang Chenghong was about to leave, he saw his sister and hurriedly greeted her: "I was just about to go home to look for you, and here you are."

Yang Mengchen smiled and said, "I had business in town so I swung by to check on things. Is there any progress on that matter you were going to discuss with me, Sixth Brother?"

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