Under the bright lamplight, the ink strokes on the slightly yellowed envelope were particularly pleasing to the eye, instantly soothing Qi Huan's eyes that had just been hurt by Chen Jinyou.
Qi Huan opened the envelope with a small knife, and after reading it, she realized it was the handwriting of Old Master Weng Tingqiu.
When the Hengqu Academy began construction, she had met Old Master Weng once and had comforted this former Grand Tutor who was frustrated with his lack of success.
She never expected that Old Master Weng would still remember her.
In the letter, Old Master Weng once again expressed his gratitude to her and described in detail the current state of Hengqu Academy...
Qi Huan put away her pen, ground some ink, picked up a brush, and wrote a thoughtful reply.
In the future, when Shu ascends to the throne and Li Country is in need of talents, perhaps Old Master Weng would be reinstated.
Why not make more connections today to have more support tomorrow?
Besides Old Master Weng's letter, most of the remaining letters were from students of Hengqu Academy, with a letter of good news from Sun Doctor at the bottom.
"Little Qi, thanks to the motherwort granules you left behind and the warmth of the heated kang bed, many women's cold uterus symptoms have slightly improved. Some have even been diagnosed with pregnancy, and their husbands' families want to pool money to build a stone statue for you."
"Later, everyone remembered that the prescription came from Dr. Qi, so they decided to mobilize the entire area, fifty copper coins per household, to raise enough money to build a stone statue for both you and your father."
"Then, everyone felt it wasn't right to leave out Mrs. Qi, thinking the whole family should be together!"
"So, everyone pooled their money to hire a stonemason and built statues for your entire family."
"After the news spread, many people came to pay their respects, praying for numerous offspring..."
After reading this, Qi Huan was dumbfounded.
Three men make a tiger, truly terrifying. Somehow, their family had inexplicably become the local fertility gods of Mo County?
The most ridiculous part was that quite a few people in Mo County had indeed become pregnant...
She knew this was due to the warm kang beds and improved living conditions.
Qi Huan pondered for a moment, then took out a few packets of spinach seeds from her space and wrote:
"Sun Doctor, during pregnancy preparation and pregnancy, women should supplement with folic acid. However, I can't extract folic acid, and it would be troublesome to send the folic acid I have on hand."
"I will have someone send some spinach seeds to Xiuwen and ask him to arrange greenhouse planting of spinach. When the spinach matures, please give the pregnant women separate notes, allowing each to buy some spinach at a low price with their note."
"Spinach contains folic acid, but it should still be consumed in moderation based on each pregnant woman's actual condition..."
Now that she was wealthy, giving back to the villagers appropriately could earn her more points, which was what she wanted most at this time.
So in her letter to Xiuwen, she added: "For the price of spinach, just charge the cost price."
By the time Qi Huan finished dealing with all the letters, it was already the middle of the night.
She stretched lazily, tidied up her desk, and then lay back in bed, quickly falling asleep.
Under the same moonlight, the atmosphere at the Duke of An Manor was somewhat tense.
Li Shuchen looked at the invitation card again and again, his brow furrowed and his expression tight.
"Did the Song Mansion only send this one invitation?"
"Yes, Your Highness, only this one."
Li Shuchen closed the invitation card with an displeased expression and handed it to Yanwu, coldly instructing, "Give it to Yan Qinghe."
"Yes."
After Yanwu left, he stood by the window with his hands behind his back, looking up at the bright moon.
Why didn't the Song family invite him?
Old Master Song and Elder Master Song had praised him repeatedly.
Since the invitation had already been delivered to the Duke of An Manor, they should have invited him, the master, as a courtesy...
Soon, Yanwu ran back to report, interrupting his thoughts.
"Your Highness, Master Yan accepted the invitation and happily said he would attend the banquet tomorrow."
"Oh."
Li Shuchen lifted his eyelids, his cold gaze turning towards him. "Go and bring out my new clothes."
The next day, the sun shone brightly.
Yan Qinghe looked at Li Shuchen, who was sitting with his eyes closed in the carriage, his lips twitching a few times, but in the end, he didn't voice his question.
What was going on with Shu?
Shu had been staying up until midnight recently, dealing with confidential letters from various places. How could he find time to crash a dinner at the Song Mansion when he was so busy?
Was the food at the Song family that good?
The key point was, they hadn't even invited him!
Yan Qinghe stroked the cage with the little rabbit inside, utterly perplexed.
"Your Highness, we've arrived."
As the carriage door was knocked, Yanwu's voice drifted into the compartment.
Li Shuchen's closed eyes suddenly opened, his slender jade-like hand adjusting his crown, then standing up to straighten his clothes.
Seeing this, Yan Qinghe sat dumbfounded in his spot, his expression as if he had been struck by lightning.
Even when entering the palace, Shu hadn't been this particular...
It was even rarer to see him in flowing white robes, looking every bit the scholar.
"Shu, when was the last time I wet the bed?"
"When you were eight."
"Oh, so you haven't been possessed." Yan Qinghe muttered, then suddenly felt warmth on his thigh.
Damn rabbit had left droppings all over him!
Seeing his sorry state, a dark gleam flashed in Li Shuchen's eyes.
Very good!
This fool perfectly set him off.
When the low-key and simple carriage stopped at the gate of the Song Mansion, the doorman quickly ran to inform Elder Master Song.
When Elder Master Song came out to greet them cheerfully, he was stunned to see the dragon-like figure standing beside Yan Qinghe.
He didn't think he had invited Prince An, had he?
While he was in a daze, Li Shuchen had already walked over with graceful steps, his faint smile as refreshing as a spring breeze. "There's no need for formalities, Elder Master Song."
"This cousin of mine is not good at socializing and insisted on my company. I hope Elder Master Song won't mind my uninvited presence?"
Elder Master Song squeezed out a stiff smile. "Not at all, not at all. Prince An's presence brings great honor to our humble abode. We couldn't ask for more. Please, come in, Your Highness..."
After greeting Li Shuchen, Elder Master Song's smile became more genuine when he turned to Yan Qinghe.
"Master Yan, you didn't need to be so polite!"
Elder Master Song signaled for a servant to take the two rabbit cages from Yan Qinghe's hands, then said, "Tell the kitchen to add braised rabbit to the menu for lunch."
Yan Qinghe was stunned for a moment, then hurriedly explained, "These aren't for eating! They're for your family's little rabbit..."
"No, I mean, they're for your family."
"One for Miss Qi, one for Miss Song."
It would be too obvious to give a rabbit only to Song You'an, so he bought an extra one for Qi Huan.
"Miss Qi used to love small animals when she was in Mo County..."
Qi Huan loved Blackie very much, so he wasn't exactly lying.
Thinking of this, Yan Qinghe became more confident: "I happened to buy these two little rabbits on the way, to give one each to her and Miss Song."
Compared to the rare book Li Shuchen had prepared, Elder Master Song preferred these two lively little rabbits.
An'an was timid and had no playmates, so having some little rabbits to keep her company would be good.
Elder Master Song ordered someone to accept the gifts: "Take them directly to the two young ladies' courtyards."
"Yes, sir."
By the time they reached the main hall, Old Master Song had just received the news that Prince An had also come. He hurriedly tidied his clothes and went out to greet them.
After several polite exchanges, it was finally time for lunch.
Unfortunately, men and women dined separately, so Li Shuchen didn't get to see Qi Huan.
Old Master Song was still subtly inquiring about Yan Qinghe's marriage prospects, which made Li Shuchen's brow furrow even more.
Noticing his cold gaze, Yan Qinghe reluctantly said, "This junior is still young, it's too early to consider marriage. How can a man establish a family before establishing his career?"
Hearing this, Old Master Song became even more approving!
Originally, given the status of the Weiyuan Marquis Manor, they couldn't aspire to such a match.
But now, Yan Qinghe had the status of a commoner.
If Huan were to marry him, it would be considered marrying down.
Moreover, Yan Qinghe was handsome with his sword-like eyebrows and star-like eyes, and he seemed to have a strong sense of justice. He looked easy to manipulate, which made Old Master Song even more satisfied.
He had just heard that Yan Qinghe even knew Huan's preferences and had specially brought a little rabbit for her...
Furthermore, Yan Qinghe had ambitions to make a name for himself, which showed he was sufficiently motivated.
Seeing that Huan's mourning period was about to end, Old Master Song began to look for potential sons-in-law.
The men he approved of had too high a family status, while those with matching family status didn't meet his approval.
Just as Elder Master Song told him about inviting Yan Qinghe to the banquet, based on Elder Master Song's enthusiastic praise, Old Master Song couldn't help but consider the possibility...
The more eagerly Old Master Song looked at Yan Qinghe, the more displeased Li Shuchen's expression became.
After a moment, Li Shuchen, like a peacock spreading its feathers, engaged Old Master Song in conversation, ranging from the arts of music, chess, calligraphy, and painting to political views.
Old Master Song's intense gaze gradually shifted towards him, and the two seemed to share a deep mutual appreciation despite their age difference.
Elder Master Song and Yan Qinghe, meanwhile, wore expressions of dismay.
Finally, unable to bear it any longer, Elder Master Song suggested to Yan Qinghe, "Shall we go for a walk?"
"Let's go!" Yan Qinghe agreed.
However, Yan Qinghe could never have imagined that this casual stroll would lead him to overhear something of great importance!
