Lin Youning only smiled silently, saying nothing.

She felt that her eldest brother had become more talkative, but such a brother seemed more humane, unlike before when he was cold like an iceberg.

After the two arrived at the backyard, they went directly into Lin Youning’s room. Hailan placed the regular clothes received from Li Si inside, and then left.

Lin Youning helped her brother change, and when they sat on the soft couch, Lin Youning spoke about Dong Boyun, "She came again. I know she genuinely wants to admit her mistake, but I think it’s better not to meet. Once we meet, I don’t know what to say; I can’t bring myself to say harsh words, yet forgiving her is impossible. We can’t be enemies nor friends, so it’s better to remain strangers."

"Do what you think is best and don’t worry about what others think. Although there was affection between you in the past, fate is something you can’t control. If the fate has ended, then you shouldn’t be together. Everyone has their own path to walk. She was born in the Dong Mansion, and because of that, you two were destined not to be together. It was rare enough that you could be together for a few years," Gu Yifeng leaned against a soft pillow with his eyes closed, and Lin Youning rested against his chest.

Listening to her brother’s heartbeat and his words, Lin Youning felt her eyes heavy. She knew she hadn’t slept well last night, and coupled with the pregnancy, she was increasingly drowsy during the day.

"Is Aunt really mad at me?"

"No worries, she’s busy with Vice Minister Zhang’s daughter right now, so she doesn’t have time to think about this."

Lin Youning smiled with her eyes closed, "Thinking only about how to bring someone into the mansion? Actually, it seems easy for someone to enter the mansion, but how the brother treats this is the difficult part."

If it were up to Aunt, she would certainly bring the person into the mansion without further ado.

Gu Yifeng lightly stroked her belly, "Since you guessed mother’s thoughts, you also know how difficult this is. In my heart, there’s only you, so if mother wants to bring someone into the mansion, let’s see if it’s in vain."

Lin Youning couldn’t help but smile at these sweet words, and Gu Yifeng lowered his head to sniff the scent of her hair, his voice much graver, "When you move into the Prince Mansion, we might be separated for some time."

"How could it be? I’ll only stay a few days before returning... Is Aunt determined to have someone brought into the mansion?" Lin Youning forced her eyes open, "I know Aunt’s temper. If she’s determined, she probably won’t take me back, and it’ll drag on. I think we should just let it go, at worst just bring someone into the mansion."

Bringing someone into the mansion would just mean taking care of another person without interaction.

But Lin Youning couldn’t bring herself to say this outright. Though she always wanted to keep her brother for herself, directly confessing was hard to say.

Gu Yifeng, with eyes closed, said, "Didn’t sleep well last night? I got up early too, let’s nap for a while; this matter isn’t urgent, we’ll take it slowly."

Lin Youning softly replied, even though she worried about Aunt, her heavy eyelids led her into a deep sleep.

Gu Yifeng heard Sister Ning’s breath turn even, then opened his eyes, no longer showing the lightheartedness he had before. Mother clearly wouldn’t relent, and he was surprised at her persistence. He considered bringing someone into the mansion, treating it as just having another person to feed, without taking notice.

But he feared that mother might have other plans, so Gu Yifeng was cautious not to act rashly, worried more trouble might arise after bringing someone in.

Calculating like this, he felt sending Sister Ning back to the Prince Mansion would be better.

This was also discussed with Prince Shou in the morning when he came over. Since mother wouldn’t budge, Sister Ning wouldn’t return to the mansion, testing whether mother would really let Sister Ning deliver outside.

However, this meant Sister Ning and he couldn’t be together every day, which was why Gu Yifeng thought the idea was flawed.

Gu Yifeng contemplated resisting mother’s side until the end. Mrs. Gu Sr. awaited her son for lunch but heard he went directly to the Zhao Mansion instead.

Mrs. Gu Sr. then had the meal arranged and dined with Zhang Xian.

Sister Ran and Sister Hui had come the day before and wouldn’t come again. Sister Hong and her sister were taken back to the Prime Minister’s Mansion by Mrs. Liu Sr. after the incident with Lin Youning, preventing them from visiting the East Mansion. Sister Hui managed the household affairs and disliked Zhang Xian, seeing her as a future concubine, and was unsure of how to address her.

Sister Ran essentially saw Zhang Xian as an enemy, thus wouldn’t come over.

This left Mrs. Gu Sr.’s side quieter, with Zhang Xian finding topics to discuss, which prevented the atmosphere from cooling and kept Mrs. Gu Sr. in good spirits, managing this balance skillfully.

After chatting, Zhang Xian noticed Mrs. Gu Sr. was tired and excused herself to rest. 𝑓𝑟ℯ𝘦𝓌𝘦𝘣𝑛𝑜𝓋𝑒𝓁.𝑐ℴ𝓂

Mrs. Gu Sr. watched her leave and sighed, "Such a fine girl, perceptive and articulate, straightforward too. With her in the house, chaos wouldn’t ensue indoors, yet the eldest ignores her entirely. Now he won’t return or even send word, leaving Sister Xian feeling embarrassed."

Nanny Chi and Nanny Chang could only offer words of comfort.

Mrs. Gu Sr. waved them off, "No need for these words, I’m well aware. He’s using Sister Ning to contend with me now. Knowing I won’t bear Sister Ning delivering outside, since I raised her. If she delivers outside, how will others view her? I can’t stand that. Yet, I can’t abandon responsibility for the Marquis Mansion either."

"Madam should think openly. If not, bring someone in first, then find chances to relate with the Marquis later. Even if the girl disapproves, she must return once inside, avoiding constant delay." Nanny Chi suggested.

Nanny Chang countered, "Even if brought in, if the Marquis treats her like Aunt Wu, entering or not makes no difference, just an ornament. He must willingly accept."

Mrs. Gu Sr. didn’t say more, allowing them to aid her to bed for a nap, while Suyi watched over her, as Nanny Chi and Nanny Chang retreated.