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However, Li Yao's reincarnation had also triggered quite a few butterfly effects. Things had changed considerably now, and it was hard to say how they would turn out in the future. For now, the most important thing was to preserve Liuzhou. If Li Ming died, it would be very troublesome, as Li Hui had not yet passed the imperial examinations. Li Ming had to hold on for a few more years.

That night, after everyone had gone to sleep, Li Xia left Osmanthus Alley and went to send a letter to Zhou Heng. He must absolutely protect Li Ming's life. If Liuzhou truly could not be defended, he could knock Li Ming unconscious and bring him to the Capital City. Being alive was always better than being dead, with more hope.

Along with the letter was also a roll of silver notes, as one could not expect people to work for free. Money truly did not last long, Li Xia lamented with a sigh.

He came to the Capital City branch of the Tian Yi Pavilion. The guards at the gate saw Li Xia coming and hurriedly opened the door to welcome him. This Aunt was not someone they could afford to offend; they could only serve her obediently.

The Tian Yi Pavilion had no small network of connections, but they were unable to find any information about Li Xia. Li Xia demanded that the Tian Yi Pavilion take on missions from the Li family. The Tian Yi Pavilion had investigated the Li family, but no one matched the criteria.

"Aunt, you've come?" The Tian Yi Pavilion member Luo Shan greeted Li Xia obsequiously with a bow.

"How is the mission progressing?" Li Xia asked idly.

"Three of the rebel's vice-commanders and platoon leaders have been eliminated. The main commander has many guards, making it difficult to act for now," Luo Shan replied cautiously, afraid of displeasing this formidable Aunt.

Li Xia did not respond, vanishing in an instant. Each time Luo Shan saw Li Xia disappear, he could not help but wonder just how powerful her abilities were. He noticed a jade box left on the table, and carefully opened it to find a millennium-old ginseng root inside.

What a treasure! The Tian Yi Pavilion's bloody business of assassination often resulted in injuries. This was something they desperately needed.

After leaving, Li Xia flew towards the outskirts of the city, returning to Osmanthus Alley before dawn. Qiu Shui opened the door, and Li Xia was lying on the bed.

Having not slept all night, Li Xia's spirit was still fine, showing no signs of a sleepless night. Li Xia and Auntie Mei went to the main courtyard to attend to the ailing Mrs. Lu.

Mrs. Lu's illness this time was quite severe. It took half a month before she showed slight improvement, but she had become extremely emaciated, looking at least ten years older.

Mrs. Lu drank a small bowl of porridge, indicating that she did not want any more. Seeing how little she ate, Auntie Mei wanted to urge her to have some more.

"I'll eat again later if I get hungry," Mrs. Lu said weakly.

This time, Auntie Mei had taken great care in attending to her during her illness, causing Mrs. Lu to view her more favorably. Auntie Mei set the bowl aside and brought water for Mrs. Lu to rinse her mouth. "Madam, the sun is good today. Let me help you go outside for a walk." Being confined indoors during an illness was not ideal; some sun could help her recover faster.

Having lain in bed for so long, Mrs. Lu felt enervated and agreed. Auntie Mei and Liu Xiao supported Mrs. Lu as she went outside. After a short walk, Mrs. Lu broke out in a cold sweat and could not continue. The two helped her back inside to rest.

Li Hui came striding over with a smile. "Mother, the reinforcements have arrived. Liuzhou has been secured. Father is safe."

"That's wonderful. Help me up, I must go burn incense for the Buddha," Mrs. Lu said, trying to rise. Auntie Mei and Liu Xiao helped support her as she went to burn incense before the Buddha statue.

After burning the incense, Mrs. Lu's spirit and energy had greatly improved. She returned to her room feeling somewhat hungry. "Tell the kitchen to add two more dishes for lunch," allowing the concerned family members to feel more at ease.

Seeing Mrs. Lu take the initiative to request food, Chunlu Granny personally went to the kitchen to give instructions, bringing some dishes and snacks back to the main courtyard.

At lunchtime, seeing the two additional dishes, everyone knew that Liuzhou had been secured. The entire Li household was joyful. The dark clouds looming over the Li manor had finally dispersed somewhat.

With the good news, Mrs. Lu's health also recovered more quickly. Once she had regained her strength, Mrs. Lu began to take stock of the family's assets.

Besides this Osmanthus Alley courtyard, the Lu family had less than a thousand silver taels remaining in their accounts. Even with frugality, this amount of silver would only be enough to support such a large household for at most three months. While the Liuzhou matter could be set aside for now, the main priority was earning money.

Mrs. Lu discussed establishing a family business with Li Hui. They had the manpower, but before that, Li Hui first sent Li Chou and Li Guang to the academy to continue their studies. Their education had been delayed by the Liuzhou incident for too long. Now that Liuzhou was secured, their studies could no longer be neglected.

"Hui'er has grown up," Mrs. Lu said to Li Hui with a mix of pride and heartache.

"This incident has caused them both to mature considerably," Li Hui observed of Li Chou and Li Guang.

During the day, Li Chou would follow Li Hui and assist with tasks, while at night he spent more time studying and also kept an eye on Auntie An to prevent her from causing trouble for Mrs. Lu.

Li Guang would also proactively ask Li Hui if there were any tasks for him. No matter how difficult the tasks Li Hui assigned him, he would strive to complete them. When dealing with some rude grain merchants, Li Hui would sometimes lose patience, but Li Guang remained unaffected, putting aside his pride to negotiate with them until they voluntarily lowered their prices.

"They will both be valuable assets to you in the future," Mrs. Lu nodded approvingly. From their journey from Liuzhou to the Capital City, either Li Chou or Li Guang would accompany Mrs. Lu. Although she was the matriarch, there were times when it was improper for her to interact with outsiders directly. The two would take the initiative to converse with the stewards, handling matters clumsily but with earnest effort.

"Your father's greatest shortcoming was having no brothers to assist him, only burdens dragging him down," Mrs. Lu remarked with dissatisfaction regarding the Li family elders. During such a significant crisis, not a single letter of concern had been sent from the elders, only inquiries about why they had not received their annual gifts.

"Once Grandpa passes away, we won't need to send them gifts anymore," Li Hui also disliked the Li family elders.

Li Ming's Mother had been unable to conceive early in her marriage. The Li Family Grandmother had wanted Li's Father to divorce her and take a new wife. However, Li's Father loved Li's Mother dearly and refused, determined to spend his life with her.

Angered by Li's Father's defiance, the Li Family Grandmother had directly driven the couple from the family home. The couple left with only two sets of clothes to make their own way in life.

After years of hard work, the originally hopeless couple had a child named Li Ming when they were 40 years old. The couple, worried that when they passed away at an advanced age, Li Ming would be alone without any siblings or relatives to care for him, decided to take him back to their hometown.

Li Ming had perfectly inherited his parents' good looks, so the family members did not doubt that he was not their biological child. However, they had their eyes on the family's property. Li Ming's paternal grandparents demanded a large sum of money, citing the couple's failure to support them financially for many years.

Although Li Ming's parents were displeased, they endured it for their son's sake. Until the year when Li Ming was 9 years old, his father passed away. The Li family came to seize the family property. The conflict between the two parties escalated and ended up in court.