“If I’m not remembering incorrectly, I believe your family also has a little roe deer that also hasn’t grown throughout these years.” Su Ran stretched out a hand towards Xiaocao’s cat but was pushed back by a swiping paw. Its speed was quite fast as he wasn’t able to dodge it at all. He was pretty sure that the little fellow had retracted its claws for the sake of Xiaocao. Otherwise, his hand right now would be dripping with blood.

Not a single one of the little lass’s pets were normal. Even the most normal-looking roe deer was as intelligent as a little devil. He heard that Miss He from the grand princess royal’s estate had once asked Xiaocao to give her the little roe deer. However, the animal had overheard her request. From then on, as long as Lass He went over to the Yu Residence, the little roe deer would hide until even its shadow couldn’t be found. It would only reappear once the other girl left. As for the white and black wolves, they were even more astounding. Now, she had a nondescript tiny little kitten whose speed was so fast that even he couldn’t dodge it!

However, in his eyes, the most unusual one still had to be the master of all of these pets. A teenage girl who was born in an ordinary farming family, whose ancestors had all been ordinary farmers and fishermen, had actually had a variety of talents appear on her. She knew how to improve crops to make them high-yielding, grow vegetables and fruits in greenhouses, manufacture medications, concoct medicinal cuisines, brew wine, cook food, make pastries and frozen desserts…

It was also said that the little lass was talented at cultivating flowers. Any families in the capital who had a good relationship with the Fang Family, if they liked growing flowers, then as soon as their flowers started to wilt, they would send it over. Every time when those flowers went back, it was as if those plants had received a second chance at life and had eaten a miracle medicine!

Out of all of her abilities, other than farming and raising vegetables, the rest had very little to do with her farmer’s family background. None of these other things would be something that a normal girl from a farmer’s family would ever encounter, let alone become proficient in. If one started to investigate the little lass more closely, one would find that there were too many incongruencies. If it wasn’t for the fact that the emperor had stopped him from doing so, he would have already begun to deeply investigate her background. It wasn’t because he was afraid that the little lass would go rogue but more to satisfy his own burning curiosity.

It seemed like the emperor already knew just what type of secret the little lass was hiding, which was why he especially told him to not examine her closely. Furthermore, he was instructed to do all he could to prevent other people from investigating the young maiden. Those who attempted to use or trip up the little lass would be warned. If they refused to listen——then he would directly get rid of them! His involvement was the reason why the little lass was able to do so much these past few years in the capital without encountering any sticky situations!

Only after Su Ran stopped looking at the little golden kitten with that piercing gaze did Yu Xiaocao’s nervous expression finally relax a bit. With Sir Su’s astute mind and abilities, she was sure that Little Glutinous Dumpling’s abilities and her secrets would all be an open book to him. There was nothing that she could do to hide from him if he decided to investigate more. She silently prayed that Sir Su would never become too curious about the little divine stone.

[Don’t worry ah! The man surnamed Su listens to the commands of your emperor. As long as the emperor doesn’t want him to, he won’t do more than what is required. If you don’t believe me, you can ask your man. Doesn’t he have the ability to partially read people’s minds ah?]

The little divine stone, in its kitten form, lazily stretched out its body and then jumped on the table. It used its paw to pick up a piece of cumin roe deer meat and threw it towards Little Black and Little White, who were waiting for scraps of food underneath the table. It had no interest in foods that had no spiritual energy in them, even if they tasted very good. After all, at its current level of cultivation, it hadn’t gained a sense of taste yet!

Xiaocao saw that when Sir Su finished eating his evening meal, he went straight back to his room to rest and didn’t inquire more about the little golden kitten. She threw a questioning look towards Zhu Junyang, who had just placed down his bowl and chopsticks.

Zhu Junyang didn't want to see her worry about this and immediately explained the situation to her, “If the emperor doesn’t want him to investigate something, Chief Steward Su will not do so! Tell me, does the emperor already know your secret? Is that why he’s prohibiting other people from investigating into you?”

“The emperor is wise and far-sighted, with clear-sighted eyes. What can possibly escape his gaze?” Yu Xiaocao had a helpless expression on her face and then remarked in a slightly joyful tone of voice, “Fortunately, the emperor is a wise and benevolent ruler and doesn’t covet this official’s treasure. Otherwise...I don’t even want to think about it ah!”

Zhu Junyang fell silent for a moment and there wasn’t a single expression on his face as he lightly drew the little lass into his arms and placed his chin on her head. He stayed like that for a long time before he finally broke his silence and said, “Don’t be afraid, this prince is here for you!”

Yu Xiaocao suddenly felt her eyes grow hot and sparkling tears appeared in them. She was very well aware of the deep meaning behind his words. ‘Don’t be afraid, even if the entire world is against you, this prince will always stay by your side and protect you using my own body, keeping you safe for eternity…’

She forcefully blinked the tears back from her eyes and deliberately stated in a light and happy voice, “You are right! Even if the sky falls, I have someone tall to shield me! Why should we worry about what-if’s? Life is so beautiful, so we need to treasure all of the good parts! Ruizhi, from your behavior, this young maiden will now declare that your probation period has ended early!”

“Really? Then this prince will immediately have someone send a letter back to my parents to have them prepare the matters around proposing marriage…” Zhu Junyang didn’t expect this to happen and was extremely happy by this change in the situation. His enchanting and alluring phoenix eyes suddenly glowed with joy and were so bright they could blind a person. His handsome face, which sometimes looked androgynously beautiful, had a large grin on it that couldn’t be concealed.

Yu Xiaocao’s large pair of eyes curved up in happiness and her dimples became quite apparent as she continued to gaze at that alluringly handsome face. The man before her only showed his good sides to her alone. His tall and imposing figure paired with his strong body always seemed to stand in front of her, shielding her from the wind and rain that raged outside. Why did she still need to worry about her own personal gains and losses at this point? She was sure that her partner would be this man! In addition, she was confident that this deliriously happy man in front of her would be the one to give her a lifetime of happiness.

“No need to rush! We’re still about three to four months from the New Years! It won’t be too late to propose marriage at the start of spring next year!” Yu Xiaocao softly said and the look in her eyes was incredibly gentle and soft.

Zhu Junyang placed his hands around her slender waist and suddenly lifted her up high, as if he was holding up a priceless treasure. Then he gently placed her down as he spoke somewhat incoherently, “How could I not be in a rush? This prince has waited for so many years for this exact day! This won’t do! I need to write a letter and send it by pigeon immediately to tell my lady mother to ask the head priest of Huguo Temple to calculate a fortuitous day. Also, she needs to start preparing the items needed for the three letters and six rites…”

As he spoke, he let go of her hand and was about to hastily walk out the room. He was pulled back by Yu Xiaocao, who didn't know whether she should laugh or cry at his actions, “Don’t you know what time is it right now? It’s already completely dark outside and the homing pigeons should be resting right now. That being said, did you bring any homing pigeons along on this trip?”

Zhu Junyang gradually calmed down after hearing Xiaocao’s words. A hint of self-deprecation and embarrassment appeared on his handsome face as he admitted, “This prince was so happy that I became befuddled! How about we head back to the stud farm tomorrow? We’ll have plenty of chances to hunt and gather herbs in the future…”

“You’re being absurd now!” They were already at the foot of the mountain and Yu Xiaocao had no desire to postpone this hunting trip, “Where did that shrewd, calm, and meticulous Royal Prince Yang I know disappear to?”

“Uh isn’t this...becoming hasty out of pure happiness ah?” Zhu Junyang also thought that he was being a bit ridiculous. He pulled the little lass, who was behind him, into a hug and enjoyed the feeling of her soft body against his. He then landed a fiery kiss on her temples and started to become a little unruly.

Yu Xiaocao escaped from his arms and pushed him out of the room, “It’s getting late and we need to prepare to enter the mountain tomorrow. Go back to your room and rest ah!”

“What else do we need to prepare now? Don’t we just need to bring your secret barbecue seasonings along? How can we possibly starve with that?” Zhu Junyang wanted that fragrant and sweet body to stay with him and held onto her again. This time, he secretly tightened his grip. In a few more months, the little lass would be labeled officially as his. His heart desperately wanted to scream, to let the entire world know, that she was about to become his official fiancée!

Yu Xiaocao could sense the roiling emotions in the man behind her. She didn’t want things to go too far in this simple and crude room. She cooled down her voice as she blandly asked, “Is it hard to understand my words?”

“Easy to understand, very easy!! This prince is not one of those people who is all talk and no action. I’m also not the type to say beautiful words to trick young maidens and forget what I pledged later on. I still remember that men need to follow the ‘three injunctions and four virtuous things to do’! They are: the man must listen and obey his wife’s commands, when the wife goes out, the man needs to go as well…” Zhu Junyang sensed that the little lass was feeling a bit uneasy and hurriedly recited the ‘Standards of the Optimal Man’ to her.

Yu Xiaocao couldn’t take it anymore and burst out into laughter. She coquettishly turned around to look him in the eye as she said, “Then, this young maiden orders you: ‘Let me go! Step away and leave!!’”

Zhu Junyang obediently let go of her and didn't try to sneak another touch in. He dillydallied in the room, not wanting to leave, so Yu Xiaocao had to push him out of the side room. When she saw that the master room in the courtyard was dark and that there was a shadow of Su Ran’s body on the opposite bed, she decided that no one was paying attention to them and she hurriedly snatched a kiss from her man’s perfect, red lips. Having a man was like having a pet! If you didn't give them some treats now and then, they wouldn’t listen to you!

Her actions were quite unexpected but extremely welcome for Zhu Junyang. However, his greedy heart still felt like the kiss was over too quickly. He didn’t even get to taste her when it ended. It happened so quickly that it felt like just an illusion.

The moon was out tonight and shone brightly. The watery light from the moon shone on the little lass’s snow white face and seemed to make her skin glow. He felt like he could never get enough of her delicate brows and eyes. His eyes became extremely gentle and soft as he stared at her, as if he was gazing at a rare and precious treasure. He lightly held the young maiden’s face and bent over to get closer and closer to those red lips that seemed as tender and lovely as a flower…

“Cough cough! Cough cough!!” Suddenly, the sound of heavy coughs could be heard from the neighboring room, followed by Su Ran’s clear voice, “Royal Prince Yang, do you prefer sleeping at the head or the tail of the kang bed?”

During the ninth month, the lands near the northern border already had cold and chilly mornings and evenings. Old Man Jin, who was quite hospitable, had lit up the kang beds in the east courtyard’s three rooms. Su Ran had earlier sensed that there was someone who wanted to act like a hungry wolf on the other side of the window. It looked like that bad wolf was trying to take advantage of a certain young maiden.