Chapter 148: Moving Out

**Chapter 148: Moving Away**

Though Zhou Yan seemed bookish and delicate, his embrace was broad and dependable.

Yue Niang pressed her hands against his chest, her face turning rosy.

"My lord."

From his height, Zhou Yan could see her fluttering lashes—like tiny fans, stirring a sweet ache in his chest.

Though Yue Niang kept her head lowered, she could feel the weight of his gaze upon her.

It seemed the lord's attitude toward her had changed.

"If you're unwell, you should rest. There's no need to make those sachets anymore."

His words were meant to spare her the labor, but to Yue Niang, they sounded like Zhou Yan disdained her craftsmanship.

Or perhaps he simply didn’t want her currying favor with the old madam and Lady Xie.

Yue Niang paled slightly and nodded. "I understand, my lord."

"What of the sachet you made for me?" He let her go and brushed past her into the inner chamber.

His question caught Yue Niang off guard. "My lord... didn’t want it?"

Zhou Yan turned, his elegant face holding a playful glint. "Who said I didn’t?"

Yue Niang fidgeted with her fingers. "But your words just now..."

Her wounded look made Zhou Yan realize she had misunderstood him.

"Aren't you feeling unwell? Crafting those sachets wears you out. Do you not care about your health?"

His tone was as cool as ever, but Yue Niang’s heart burned like boiling water.

"My lord... does my lord... care for me?"

She lifted her head, her eyes misty. Zhou Yan looked away, uneasy.

"I just don’t want you falling ill and making the servants tend to you."

Though his words were stubborn, the tips of his ears reddened.

She smiled secretly. The lord truly cared for her—he wasn’t rejecting her.

Gathering her nerve, she reached out and tugged lightly at his sleeve. "Yue Niang knows her limits. She won’t overexert herself."

"Hmm." He gave a low sound but didn’t shake her off. "As you wish."

His rare closeness made Yue Niang reluctant to let go of this tenderness. When her legs stopped trembling, she went to fetch the sachets.

"This one is to ease your headaches, my lord. Just place it by your pillow when you sleep."

"This is a bug-repelling sachet. You can carry it with you. If you dislike the smell, I can make another."

"And this outer robe—I noticed the one you wore before was rather old, so I made you a new one. Would my lord like to try it on?"

She returned from the inner chamber with an armful of items, offering them eagerly. Her timid but hopeful look left him no room to refuse.

"Alright, I'll give it a try."

"Let me assist you with your robe, Master!"

Yue Niang eagerly removed Zhou Yan's outer robe and replaced it with the new one.

The pale blue brocade robe accentuated the man's elegant and scholarly appearance. Though Yue Niang's embroidery skills couldn't match those of shop seamstresses, every stitch was carefully crafted by her own hands.

"Do you like it, Master?"

Standing before the half-length bronze mirror, the two leaned against each other. Zhou Yan glanced at the woman's slightly elated reflection and nodded. "It'll do."

"Then I'll keep making them for you!"

Though Yue Niang didn't understand why Zhou Yan had suddenly changed his attitude toward her, even if it was just a dream, she would hold onto it tight.

"Mmm."

That night, Zhou Yan stayed at Lingxiao Court.

When Hui Gu heard the news, her face fell.

Earlier that day, she had learned that Zhou Yan and Wei Xun had fought over the match, and she thought her son had finally wised up. Yet within less than half a day, he had gone to Yue Niang's courtyard. Hui Gu could no longer grasp her son's thoughts.

Was he also the type who wanted his cake and eat it too?

On the other hand, A Yuan was relieved upon hearing that Zhou Yan had stayed in Yue Niang's courtyard.

With Yue Niang accompanying Young Master Yan, given time, he would realize who he truly loved.

......

"Master, the Zhou family house has been prepared. They can move in tomorrow!"

After leaving the general's manor, Chang Yuan could tell his master was in low spirits. Though his master had turned away other suitors, he couldn't stop Zhou Yan, who was staying right in the general's manor.

Not to mention, given Zhou Yan's relationship with Mistress Xie, it was much closer than my lord's.

Worried Mistress Xie might be snatched away, Chang Yuan hurried to make inquiries about the Zhou residence.

Fortunately, they could move out immediately.

Hearing Chang Yuan's words, Wei Xun's expression eased somewhat, but he still couldn't shake his unease.

Today, A Yuan had rejected not only him but also Zhou Yan.

Yet he couldn't tell whether her words were spoken in anger or if she truly had no feelings for Zhou Yan.

"Have you looked into the background of Zhou Yan's concubine?"

Chang Yuan nodded, then shook his head.

"Reports from Junzhou confirm that Yue Niang was indeed adopted by the Guo family. Later, like other young women, she was sent to the Zhou household, but in the end, she was the only one who remained by Zhou Yan's side."

Chang Yuan had never met Yue Niang, but if she was singled out from the group by Zhou Yan, she must have had something extraordinary.

"What's even stranger is that the Guo family claimed they bought Yue Niang from a poor rural household. But when I sent people to investigate that village, there was no such family as the Guos described. Instead, someone quietly revealed that Yue Niang had been abducted to Junzhou, and the Guo family concealed her origins—suggesting her identity might be unusual."

Though Chang Yuan seemed slow-witted, no one who became Wei Xun's confidant was truly a fool.

After he finished speaking, Wei Xun narrowed his eyes thoughtfully.

"Any leads found?"

"I only found out that Yue Niang was abducted to Junzhou at the age of three. Because of her exceptional beauty, the Guo family kept her secluded in their estate and raised her there. When she was gifted to Zhou Yan, it was the first time she had ever seen outsiders. However, according to the servants in the Guo household, Yue Niang had a red birthmark on her forehead. Combined with her age when she arrived in Junzhou, this reminded me of someone."

"Xiao Dan Yang!" They said in unison.

"Send word to the Marquis of Xiao!"

At Wei Xun's command, Chang Yuan responded enthusiastically, "Yes!"

Uncovering information about Xiao Dan Yang would not only put the Marquis in their master's debt but also divert Zhou Yan’s attention.

If Yue Niang truly was the marquis’s daughter, the Marquis would never allow his own child to remain a concubine—he would surely take her away.

If Zhou Yan didn’t care for her, it wouldn't matter much, beyond enduring the marquis's anger a few times.

But if he did love Yue Niang, he'd face endless complications.

Then he’d have no energy left to interfere with his master and Mistress Xie.

Understanding the implications, Chang Yuan hurried to deliver the message to the Yongyi Marquis’s residence.

Wei Xun’s schemes, of course, remained unknown to Zhou Yan.

Now that the emperor had granted him a residence, he had no excuse to remain at the general’s estate.

Especially after A Yuan had laid out her feelings plainly to him—Zhou Yan no longer had any justification to stay.

"Very well, I’ll move out tomorrow."

After seeing off the palace eunuch who delivered the decree, Zhou Yan returned to inform A Yuan and Hui Gu.

Hui Gu’s expression darkened. "Go if you must. I’m not leaving."

Moving to the new residence was far less comfortable than staying with A Yuan. Moreover, she couldn’t stand the sight of her son doting on Yue Niang—living there would only make her miserable.

"Mother."

Zhou Yan had no way to persuade her. He knew what his mother cared about. Before, he hadn’t understood his own feelings, but now that he recognized his affection for Yue Niang, he wouldn’t condemn her to concubinage.

It was just that the timing wasn’t right yet—there were still things he needed to clarify.

Once he confirmed Yue Niang’s identity and verified she had no ties to the Guo family, he would marry her.