So many people!

After breakfast, it was time to say goodbye again.

The Zhou family members were already used to the guards brought by Prince Xin, and regarded them as ordinary servants of wealthy families.

After finishing their simple meal of congee and side dishes, Prince Xin's attendants had prepared a carriage and were waiting outside. Chen Jian then invited Jia Yun to ride back to the city together.

The carriage swayed and rocked along the mountain road, and the interior was quiet for a moment.

Prince Xin gazed at the fleeting withered branches and lingering snow outside the window, then suddenly sighed, a blush of youth rising on his face: "Yun-ge'er, to tell you the truth, I... I saw that eldest daughter of the Zhou family yesterday, and my heart has been restless ever since."

His tone carried a hint of uncertain excitement, almost like someone experiencing first love: "It's as if... as if all the women I've seen before have become ordinary beauties. Her serene demeanor is even more captivating than those in the palace..."

Prince Xin ultimately didn't dare to specify the object of comparison.

Jia Yun had already guessed what was going on from his infatuated appearance yesterday, but hearing the Prince of Xin say it himself still stirred her heart.

He recalled Senior Sister Wanyan's elegant and refined temperament, which, compared to Prince Xin, a young prince, was not entirely mismatched; it was just that there was a significant gap in their social status...

He composed himself and said sincerely, "Your Highness has excellent judgment. Senior Sister Wanyan is gentle and kind, and intelligent; she is indeed an extraordinary woman."

Prince Xin's eyes lit up for a moment upon hearing his affirmation, but then dimmed again. He shook his head bitterly: "What good is good judgment? My marriage... is not something I can decide for myself. My mother has already said that I must choose a woman from a humble family to show frugality and to guard against powerful relatives. But even so, this person... is not someone I can choose at will."

Chen Jian's tone was filled with the helplessness and constraints of being a member of the royal family.

After a moment of silence, he suddenly looked at Jia Yun and said with a hint of teasing, "I see that the second daughter of the Zhou family is quite close to you. Her older sister is so beautiful and virtuous, and her younger sister is also a clever and intelligent person. You, lad, perhaps you also have feelings for her?"

Jia Yun was taken aback by the question, and Zhou Yingluo's bright and lively smile immediately appeared in his mind's eye, along with the pitiful faded red string on her wrist.

But before that smile could bloom, another, more mature and more glamorous figure suddenly crashed into his heart—it was Wang Xifeng, the Lian Er Aunt who he dared not think about carefully even in his dreams, yet could not help but think about!

The enchanting scenery in his dream jolted Jia Yun awake. He quickly composed himself, suppressing this inappropriate fantasy, and forced a calm demeanor as he addressed Prince Xin: "Your Highness is joking. Senior Sister Yingluo is innocent and charming, truly a good girl. However, I am currently unsuccessful in my studies and have little to no reputation. How could I dare to have such fantasies? Right now, I only wish to focus on preparing for the exam; I have no time to attend to anything else."

His words were half sincere aspirations and half realistic considerations, and he also suppressed the inappropriate stirrings of emotion he felt for Sister Feng.

Knowing his ambition, Prince Xin stopped teasing him and simply patted him on the shoulder.

it is more than words.

The carriage continued its swaying and bumping journey through the mud.

Prince Xin seemed to remember something as well, and quickly asked, "Yun-ge'er, do you remember what you said yesterday about drawing me: a bicycle and a telescope?"

After a good night's sleep, Jia Yun had regained his usual clarity and composure.

The atmosphere was still relatively harmonious. Although Jia Yun felt he had spoken inappropriately while drunk the previous day, seeing that Prince Xin's attitude was normal, he replied casually, with a touch of friendliness, "Your Highness, please forgive me. I was drunk and out of control yesterday, and my words were incoherent. Please do not take them seriously."

His intention was humility, but he failed to grasp the proper measure.

Prince Xin's face immediately darkened.

As a prince, he had never been treated so casually before. In a fit of anger, he forgot that he was in a carriage and suddenly stood up to lash out.

Unexpectedly, the wheel ran over a gravel, the carriage lurched violently, and Prince Xin lost his balance and fell back into his seat with a thud.

"Your Highness!" Jia Yun rushed forward to help him, but Prince Xin pushed her away.

"Get out of my way!" Prince Xin shoved him aside, his face turning pale with anger. His youthful spirit had been completely replaced by the ruthlessness of the imperial family. "You, Jia Yun! You were calling me brother yesterday, and now you've turned your back on me? Do you really think I'm someone you can fool so easily?"

Jia Yun bowed deeply, his tone becoming increasingly respectful: "Yesterday, this humble subject was intoxicated and behaved inappropriately, offending Your Highness. I beg Your Highness to punish me."

Seeing his instantly respectful demeanor, Prince Xin's anger intensified, yet he also felt an indescribable sense of frustration and regret.

He was well aware of the distinction between ruler and subject. It was just that the uninhibited pleasure he had experienced last night was too precious, and he had momentarily lost his senses.

Seeing Jia Yun quickly draw a line, he was both annoyed by Jia Yun's "sensibility" and regretful for his earlier lapse in composure. However, it was absolutely impossible for him to apologize and make amends.

He simply turned his face away, staring at the swaying carriage curtain, and bluntly retorted, "Hmph! You know your place, that's all that matters!"

The carriage was deathly silent, save for the rumbling of the wheels, which rolled over the chasm that had suddenly widened between the two men.

Jia Yun sat quietly to the side, her eyes lowered, her heart no longer stirred.

He knew perfectly well that the intimacy of the previous night was nothing but a drunken illusion. Now that he was sober, it was only right for them to return to their proper places. All he wanted now was to get out of this suffocating carriage as quickly as possible.

When they reached the vicinity of Ningrong Street, Jia Yun asked to stop and get out of the car in advance to avoid attracting too much attention.

He stepped off the train, stood still, and bowed deeply to the carriage, his voice calm and even: "Respectfully seeing off Your Highness."

The carriage curtain remained motionless, and from inside came Prince Xin's muffled voice, still tinged with lingering anger: "Let's go!"

Just then, the Rongguo Mansion's vermilion-wheeled carriage with its ornate canopy turned out from the street corner.

Sitting upright in the carriage, Jia Zheng immediately recognized the magnificent carriage and saw Jia Yun standing bowing beside it.

Once the carriage had driven far away, Jia Zheng immediately ordered the driver to stop, lifted the curtain, and called out, "Yun-ge'er!"

Hearing the voice, Jia Yun turned around and saw that it was Jia Zheng. He quickly stepped forward and bowed, saying, "Greetings to Master Zheng."

Jia Zheng's eyes were sharp as he stared at the departing carriage: "That was...?"

Jia Yun lowered his eyes and replied, "It was a carriage from the Prince Xin's residence. His Highness is kind and gave his nephew a ride along the way."

Jia Zheng was inwardly shaken, but showed no sign of it on his face, only saying calmly, "In that case, you should be even more careful with your words and actions, and not be impolite."

After saying that, he lowered the carriage curtain, but his heart was already filled with turbulent waves.

After Jia Zheng's carriage had gone far away, Jia Yun straightened up, looked in the direction where Prince Xin's carriage had disappeared, and sighed softly.

Some boundaries are simply insurmountable. Meanwhile, Prince Xin, inside the carriage, lifted a corner of the curtain, watching Jia Yun's receding figure, a flicker of melancholy he himself didn't even notice flashing in his eyes.

Back in the small courtyard under the west corridor, the festive atmosphere had not yet dissipated, but trouble had already come knocking.

As Jia Yun had predicted, on the first day of the Lunar New Year, some distant relatives, old neighbors, and friends who were not closely related to him came to pay their respects.

While claiming to be offering New Year's greetings, his eyes kept glancing at the newly added rice jar and the cured meat hanging under the eaves. His words implied that life was difficult and he wanted to borrow some money to tide him over.

"His third maternal uncle's cousin said his child was sick and he wanted to borrow two hundred coins to buy medicine..."

"That old woman Zhao from the back street said her son wanted to learn a trade, but he was short five hundred coins for the apprenticeship fee..."

"And then there's..."

Bu was soft-hearted and had been poor for many years. Suddenly being flattered made her feel a little overwhelmed. Holding her meager allowance, she was caught in a dilemma.

She could only nag her son, "Yun-ge'er, look at this... some of it sounds really difficult. How about we borrow some? But if we borrow from one family, another will come from another. How can we possibly afford this little bit of money?"

Jia Yun sneered inwardly. These people hadn't come earlier or later, but of all times, they had to show up now. Their intentions were obvious.

He patiently said to his mother, "Mother, we should help in times of emergency, not in times of poverty, and we certainly shouldn't help those who are dishonest and only want to take advantage of us. If there is a legitimate reason, and someone has been kind to our family in the past, it's okay to help them with a few dozen coins. But we should refuse those who usually avoid us but are now trying to take advantage of us. Our money didn't come from thin air; we should save it for our education."

Jia Yun was adamant, and seeing that he knew what was going on, Madam Bu complied. However, she inevitably heard some gossip about him "forgetting his roots once he got rich."

After dealing with these trivial matters, Madam Bu brought up the old topic again, pulling Jia Yun aside and whispering, "Yun'er, you're quite grown up now, and this important matter of your life... I've noticed Lin Zhixiao's daughter, Xiao Hong, in the back corridor. She's pretty, clever, and sensible, and often comes over to help. She's quite a good match. What do you think..."

Jia Yun was in a real bind when she heard this.

Lin Xiaohong? He knew her naturally; she was Baoyu's maid. She was indeed clever, and besides, she was Jia Yun's first wife in the original novel.

But what came to mind at this moment was Zhou Yingluo's beautiful and fresh face, and Wang Xifeng's bright and expressive phoenix eyes.

Yingluo was alright, but as for the other one... Jia Yun knew that this thought was extremely dangerous and inappropriate. That was Lian Er Nai Nai, his aunt, and one of the most untouchable people in the mansion.

He forcefully suppressed the ripples in his heart that shouldn't have been there, and said to his mother, "Mother, there's really no rush. Miss Lin... is certainly good, but I'm currently focused solely on the imperial examinations and have no time for anything else. We can discuss this matter after I've passed the exams."

Seeing his resolute attitude, Ms. Bu could only sigh and give up.