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Consort Shu was an extremely easy-going woman, and as the saying goes, like mother, like son, Lin Yuan thought that Zhao Hongde’s temperament was more like that of his mother.

However, had she not known beforehand, Lin Yuan would never have imagined that such a gentle woman could be the aunt of Xia Zheng, the Little Tyrant. It seemed that Xia Zheng was the odd one out in the Xia family.

It could have been because Princess Anle had said many good things in advance, but Consort Shu took to Lin Yuan immediately upon meeting her, especially after learning that Lin Yuan was the sworn sister Zhao Hongde had recognized outside the palace.

She was very affectionate, holding her hand and asking all sorts of questions, and in the end, even wanting to adopt her as her sworn daughter.

Lin Yuan was slightly stunned, feeling unexpectedly honored.

Princess Anle, however, had a smile playing on her lips, as if she had been waiting for this very moment, laughing, "A sworn daughter isn’t just taken casually, you need to show some sincerity."

Princess Anle and Consort Shu had been close friends before getting married and were accustomed to each other’s personalities.

Consort Shu glared at her playfully, poked her kneecap with a finger, and huffed, "I always say, my elder brother and Zhenzhen are both honest people, so how did Zhengzheng become so cunning and scheming? It turns out he has you as a mother."

Lin Yuan chuckled, remembering when Princess Anle just mentioned ’sincerity’, thinking how familiar the expression and tone were to her—it was Xia Zheng. When Zhao Hongde had wanted to take her as his sworn sister, hadn’t Xia Zheng said something similar?

Princess Anle raised an eyebrow, laughing, "Since that’s the case, you better come up with some sincerity before you talk about adopting a sworn daughter!"

Adopting a sworn daughter had started as an offhand remark, but now with Princess Anle’s prodding, Consort Shu was truly considering it.

She thought for a moment, holding onto Lin Yuan’s hand, "You just received a favor from His Majesty, and you are currently in the limelight.

If I adopt you as my sworn daughter at this moment, I fear that many in the Capital might harbor other intentions. "

Lin Yuan understood; being adopted by Consort Shu was meant to elevate her status within the noble circles of the Capital. However, this honor could not come too abruptly, for if it did, a backlash was inevitable, surely causing many to harbor jealousy and harbor ill will.

"Your Majesty thinks thoroughly; Yuanyuan understands."

Seeing how sensible Lin Yuan was, Consort Shu liked her even more.

As the three were talking, Xia Zheng entered. Aunt Qi served him tea while conveying what the Sixth Prince had told her.

As expected, upon hearing that Zhao Hongyan was coming to see him, Xia Zheng, who had been calmly sitting and drinking tea, immediately stood up, grabbed Lin Yuan, and was ready to leave, prompting Consort Shu to urgently call Aunt Qi to stop the two.

Lin Yuan had long suspected that there was something between Xia Zheng and Zhao Hongyan that was being kept from her; this incident only confirmed her suspicions.

Rolling her eyes, Lin Yuan found it amusing inside.

Xia Zheng was inherently wild-natured; how could Consort Shu hope to stop him? She could only watch helplessly as the two slipped away from the palace, pounding her thigh in frustration, continuously complaining to Princess Anle.

"This rascal! He hasn’t returned to the Capital for over a year, and now that he finally has, he doesn’t even come to see me in the palace but runs straight out as soon as he comes in, which is infuriating!"

Princess Anle pouted, patting her hand and complaining, "Now you know how I’ve been feeling this past year, right? It’s a classic case of forgetting one’s mother once he has a wife, huh!"

After her complaint, Consort Shu rolled her eyes and leaned in, "Then why don’t you hurry up and settle their marriage?"

Speaking of this gave Princess Anle an even bigger headache, "You think I don’t want to? But Xia Zheng is very stubborn. I’ve mentioned it several times, and he just waves his hand and won’t let me interfere! This little rascal, I think his father needs to give him another good beating!"

Consort Shu smacked her lips, thinking to herself that if their older brother did beat him, the first person to feel heartache would probably be his own mother.

After leaving Consort Shu’s palace, Lin Yuan keenly noticed that Xia Zheng took a different route to lead her out of the palace and cleverly avoided someone.

Amused, Lin Yuan realized he was probably avoiding Zhao Hongyan, that little troublemaker, and couldn’t help but inquire about the past events.

Xia Zheng grimaced, knowing he couldn’t deceive her, and while holding her hand, he told her about Zhao Hongyan going to Zhuma Town to find him.

Lin Yuan sighed inwardly. Xia Zheng had deliberately avoided Zhao Hongyan, but he didn’t expect that Xiao Linshuang would meet him due to a mix-up.

Lin Yuan suddenly remembered how Xiao Linshuang had been very familiar with various places in the Capital when the family had just arrived, apparently, it was all from listening to Zhao Hongyan.

The news that the Lin family women had received autographs from the Emperor himself spread throughout the Capital within a day, and what shocked everyone even more was that the sensational movable-type printing technique of the previous year in the Capital was also this young girl’s idea.

Suddenly, the Lin family became well-known major figures throughout the Capital.

Moreover, with Lin Yuan as the Third Prince’s sworn sister, many high-ranking ladies were aroused, thinking of forging a closer relationship with Madam Lin.

Invitations were sent one after another to the mansion. Seeing those unfamiliar ladies’ invitations, Lady Liu almost got a headache.

Lin Yuan also realized that it was time for Lady Liu to understand the rules of the Capital.

Thus, Sister Chang taught Lin Yuan and others the etiquette in the morning and explained it to Lady Liu in the afternoon.

Not only that, but Princess Anle often invited Lady Liu over for chats, incidentally explaining the relationships among the various notables in the Capital.

And the signboard with the Emperor’s inscription, quickly prepared by Zhao Hongde, was delivered to Lin Mansion and hung high on the front gate. Seeing that, Lin Yuan’s smile was bright and beautiful, very pleasing to the eye.

While Lin Mansion was abuzz with activity, across at Yao Mansion, it was extremely quiet.

Yao Hanai had mysteriously fallen ill and had been unconscious for four days before she finally woke up.

Just as she was nursed back to almost good health, her mother, Lady Meng, told her about Lin Yuan’s conferred title.

Instantly, her blood rushed to her head, turning her face pale, and she collapsed onto the bed again.

Lady Meng was both distressed and furious.

While wiping her daughter’s face with a damp cloth, she consoled, "Think positively, with your intelligence you can surely think of something even more remarkable than that trivial movable-type printing. Initially, you conceded only because you thought that idea was Xia Zheng’s, if you had known earlier that it was some village girl’s idea, would you have conceded so easily?

You would have thought of a better method long ago. "

Seeing her daughter’s still dejected look and lifeless eyes, Lady Meng frowned, thinking that if not for her daughter’s serious illness, she would have given her a good scolding.

Yet, softening her voice, she encouraged, "Isn’t it just a book printing method? My dear, you hurry up and recover, then come up with a better method to overshadow hers, let her be proud for a couple of days!"