this confinement period."Gu Xiuming responded with a nod, bowed to the elders, then dejectedly left Shou'an Hall, like a bereaved dog. Li Wan'er followed closely behind, wanting to say something but...In springtime, the sun shines brightly and everything is full of life.

In the back garden of Hou Mansion, flowers were in full bloom, birds sang sweetly, butterflies fluttered among the blossoms. Meng Jinyao and her three sisters-in-law strolled through the garden, admiring the flowers and chatting about the latest happenings in the capital. It seemed they were getting along quite well.of Li, whispering: "Li, you go first. I'll distract them. Don't worry about me, they won't do anything serious to me. It's you who owes the gambling house money. At worst, they'll just beat me up."Li...