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"No," Mrs. Lu refused. Li Hui had just started working at the Supreme Court, and she worried that taking leave now would be bad for his career. She was also concerned about the safety of the journey - if anything happened to Li Hui on the road, how could she go on living?

"The daughter of the Wang family was my betrothed wife. Now that she's gone, I should go back to pay my respects. Also, I want to go to Liuzhou to see how father is doing," Li Hui insisted. Unable to dissuade her son, Mrs. Lu had no choice but to agree.

As the New Year approached, most matters had been settled. Li Hui's superiors agreed to grant him three months of leave. Before leaving the Capital City, Li Hui visited the Orchid Courtyard.

The journey to Liuzhou, including travel time, would take three months. During his absence from the Capital City, Li Hui entrusted the Li family affairs to Li Xia. If he didn't know how capable Li Xia was, Li Hui wouldn't have been able to leave with peace of mind.

"Don't worry, big brother. This is my home too," Li Xia understood Li Hui's concerns.

"I trust you with this," Li Hui said after giving his instructions. He then set off on horseback with Zhang Hu, Wen Zhu, and Qing Zhu. Li Hui's departure sent Mrs. Lu back to her daily routine of burning incense and praying to the Buddha for blessings. The Li family spent a quiet New Year without him.

Li Xia contacted the Tian Yi Pavilion to secretly protect Li Hui and his servants on their journey to Liuzhou and back.

With Li Hui away, the Li family once again closed their doors to visitors. Cao Fugui brought An'an to pay respects to Mrs. Lu. This was his future in-laws' home, and with the head of the household absent, Cao Fugui came more frequently to see if there was anything he could help with. Of course, his more important reason for visiting was to see his fiancée.

Cao Fugui and Li Xin were talking in the pavilion, while Li Xia and An'an conversed outside. Li Xia kept an eye on Cao Fugui, ready to give a light cough as a warning if he overstepped any boundaries.

"Sister Xia, have some water for your throat," An'an said with amusement as she handed over a cup of tea.

Cao Fugui's face was full of helplessness. Li Xin was both shy and slightly amused.

"Let's go over there," Li Xin suggested, feeling too embarrassed to continue sitting in the pavilion talking with Cao Fugui. Cao Fugui rose reluctantly, holding back the extending branches to let Li Xin exit the pavilion first.

They arrived at the stone table and chairs in the garden. An'an smiled and offered a cup of tea, "Sister Xin, have some tea to moisten your throat."

"You're such a tease," Li Xin said with a smile as she took the cup.

"I'm just worried about Sister Xia, she's been coughing so much. Brother Fugui, next time you come, remember to bring a bottle of loquat syrup," An'an's words made Cao Fugui roll his eyes at her.

Li Xin choked and started coughing incessantly. Cao Fugui wanted to help, but someone else was quicker. Li Xia gently patted Li Xin's back.

After coughing for a while, Li Xin's face was flushed with embarrassment. Cao Fugui's face also showed a hint of awkwardness, while also feeling exasperated at An'an for saying whatever came to her mind.

Seeing their reactions, An'an made a gesture of covering her mouth, "Alright, alright, I won't say anymore." It seemed that nowadays, speaking the truth was so unpopular. Changing the subject, she said, "Brother Fugui, I heard you caught the Righteous Hero and the Gambling Saint?"

An'an's words made both Li Xia and Li Xin turn their heads to look at Cao Fugui.

Cao Fugui put down his cup and looked at An'an, "Who did you hear that from?"

"Never mind who I heard it from. Just tell me, did you catch them or not?" This was what An'an really cared about.

Cao Fugui replied irritably, "I caught them." After the incident with the list, the Righteous Hero hadn't appeared again, and that Gambling Saint had also vanished overnight.

Previously, he had only caught some imposters. But this time, the suspects could provide many details, convincing many people that they had caught the real ones. However, Cao Fugui still had doubts in his heart, feeling that the true culprits hadn't been caught.

"You caught them? Are they men or women?" Li Xin had seen the opera performance, which was so brilliant. She was also wondering if the Righteous Hero and the Gambling Saint were the same person, and if they were the same woman.

His fiancée's interest in other men made Cao Fugui feel a twinge of jealousy. But when he saw Li Xin pouring tea for him, that slight discomfort disappeared, replaced by happiness as he accepted the cup.

"How could they have been caught? It would be better if they weren't," An'an felt dejected.

This comment earned her another eye roll from Cao Fugui. But what Cao Fugui didn't expect was that his fiancée agreed with An'an's words. Seeing Cao Fugui look at her, Li Xin lowered her head in embarrassment.

Ever since Cao Fugui had taken on the task of capturing the Righteous Hero, the common people who used to look at him as just another spoiled rich kid now viewed him as a government lackey.

In his heart, Cao Fugui felt that the Righteous Hero was doing good. But from a legal standpoint, the Righteous Hero's disregard for the government was problematic. If everyone with skills acted like him, wouldn't the world become even more chaotic?

Li Xia clapped her hands, showing complete agreement, "Lord Cao is right, it's good that they were caught."

Li Xin also gave Cao Fugui a supportive look. With his fiancée's support, Cao Fugui's frustration disappeared, and he was pleased with Li Xia's understanding of the greater good. If Cao Fugui knew that the person he was so intent on catching was actually Li Xia, one wonders if he would still think the same way.

An'an wanted to ask more about the Righteous Hero and the Gambling Saint, but Li Guang came over and pulled Cao Fugui away, saying he wanted to spar with him.

Li Guang got along well with Cao Fugui. They both loved martial arts. Cao Fugui had even introduced a good martial arts master to Li Guang. Li Guang was very diligent in his martial arts practice, as he planned to take the military imperial examination.

Li Guang knew that given his situation, passing the civil service examination would be difficult enough, let alone becoming a scholar. The military imperial examination also included a written test, but it was relatively easier, and most importantly, it focused on military strategy and martial arts.

Auntie An was worried that Li Guang might end up on the battlefield and didn't agree. Seeing that he couldn't persuade her, Li Guang didn't bother talking to her anymore and went straight to Mrs. Lu to explain his intentions.

Mrs. Lu looked at Li Guang standing before her and asked for confirmation, "Have you thought it through?"

"I have."

"No regrets?"

"No regrets."

"Then go ahead and do it. I'll talk to Auntie An," After confirming that Li Guang had thought it through, Mrs. Lu agreed to let him pursue his goal.

"Thank you, Mother," Li Guang sincerely expressed his gratitude. When he was younger, under Auntie An's influence, he wasn't close to Mrs. Lu and even disliked her to some extent.

But as he experienced more, Li Guang realized how fortunate they were to have a stepmother like Mrs. Lu. As their stepmother, Mrs. Lu never skimped on their food and clothing, and she cared about their education, truly wanting them to progress and become better.

With Mrs. Lu's approval and Li Chou's persuasion on the side, Auntie An no longer held him back. With Cao Fugui's help, Li Guang went to the Martial Arts Academy, where he thrived like a fish in water, enjoying his time there immensely. His martial arts skills improved significantly, and he learned a great deal about military tactics and strategy from the martial arts instructors.

There weren't many opportunities to apply what he had learned within the academy. After informing Mrs. Lu, Li Guang gathered the servants of the Li household to conduct training exercises. Mrs. Lu allowed him to carry out the training. Qiu Chan was particularly fond of it; she had previously learned some hand-to-hand combat techniques from Li Yu. Now, following Li Guang, she learned even faster.