When they arrived at the General’s mansion, it was already 10 o’clock in the morning. Fu Chen’an stopped the horse carriage and woke his wife.

"Wife, we have already reached the General’s mansion. You should wake up now." His voice was soft, and his tone was gentle. It was as if he were afraid of startling her.

In his heart, they were husband and wife. So, it was normal for him to treat her gently and intimately. But in the eyes of the General’s mansion guards, these brothers must have an unspeakable relationship.

The way the older brother looked at the younger brother was more gentle than how the General looked at the Madam. If they claimed that they had no intimate, forbidden relationship, they wouldn’t believe it!

While the guards’ minds were roaming toward dangerous, forbidden thoughts, Yao Zhi finally woke up and opened her eyes. She rubbed her eyes and let out a yawn before she asked softly, "Husband, we are here already?"

"Mhmm."

Fu Chen’an leaped from the carriage and circled his arms around his wife’s waist. With a smooth motion, he carried her down easily. After she stood steadily, he let her go but didn’t distance himself from her.

The guards’ jaws dropped, and they stared at the couple with shock. They finally understood why Young Master Lei never gave an extra glance to the Madam’s personal maidservants despite their beauty.

It was because he adored men!

Finding the guards’ gaze strange, Yao Zhi asked, "Brothers, why do you look at my brother and me with that kind of gaze?"

The moment they heard this, the guards regained their senses. One of them quickly went to inform Steward Han, while another walked over and greeted them.

"Greetings, Young Masters." After a moment of pause, he added, "I will help you take care of the horse carriage."

Yao Zhi nodded and replied with a smile, "Thank you."

They were led to the side area where they waited. Soon after, Steward Han arrived.

He was afraid of making them wait and had been walking as fast as he could. When he arrived, a thin layer of sweat covered his forehead, and he was gasping for breath.

Seeing this, Yao Zhi poured a cup of water for him and said, "Steward Han, drink some water." 𝚏𝕣𝐞𝗲𝐰𝕖𝐛𝐧𝕠𝕧𝚎𝚕.𝐜𝚘𝗺

"T-thank you." Steward Han finished the cup of water in 2 gulps before calming down. He cupped his fists and said, "I apologize for making the Young Masters wait."

Both Yao Zhi and Fu Chen’an returned his greeting. "Steward Han, it’s not your fault. We came without prior notice. What’s more, we didn’t wait for long."

Steward Han heaved a sigh of relief when he saw that they were not offended. He gestured to them and said, "Young Masters, Madam has been waiting for you both. This way, please."

They followed him and walked leisurely. When they arrived, Xue Ya’er had just taken her seat. Seeing them coming, she stood up and greeted them with a smile.

Since she already knew about their identity, it would be rude if she sat and accepted their greetings. So, she curtsied at them and said, "Greetings, Young Masters."

Yao Zhi and Fu Chen’an both cupped their fists and bowed slightly to her as they returned her greetings. "Greetings, Madam."

Xue Ya’er gestured to them and said, "Please, have a seat."

After they took their seats, the maidservants walked over to serve them tea and refreshments. The refreshments were fresh fruit slices. In the current weather, it was hard to obtain fresh fruits. So, this refreshment showed how much she valued the guests.

Yao Zhi didn’t understand the unwritten rules and thought that it was normal for the General’s mansion to serve fruits to the guests. She often served apricots planted in her backyard to the guests, too.

When the maidservants saw how calm the Lei brothers were, their impressions and awe toward them increased severalfold. They heard the rumors that they came from a very prestigious family, that even the General and Madam treated them politely.

Seeing this today, they thought that the rumors might be real.

As for Xue Ya’er, their image in her mind was that of the heir of the Nuwa Clan. So, it was normal for them to use the best. Their reaction was normal since they might often have fruits even out of season.

Not knowing that everyone had misunderstood them, Yao Zhi glanced at the maidservants. Seeing this, Xue Ya’er gestured for them to retreat.

When it was only they and Steward Han left in the hall, Xue Ya’er finally asked, "Young Master Lei, what brought you here today?"

Yao Zhi took a sip of the tea before she replied, "Madam, we came today to discuss the prevention of the plague."

Hearing this, Xue Ya’er was intrigued. "Young Master Lei, please speak your mind."

"As we all already know, the cause of the plague is mostly because of the lack of hygiene. Since the problem lies in the lack of water, as long as we solve this problem, the possibility of a plague breaking out in the future will be lower."

"What Young Master Lei said is right. But it is hard to find water sources. Even if we dig more wells, the amount of water is far from enough for daily use, let alone sustaining hygiene," Xue Ya’er said.

"Madam, our kingdom is located near the great river in the south and mountain ridges in the north. Most plagues break out in the northern area because it is far from the river."

"But the mountains have lots of water springs, underground and above-ground mountain rivers," Yao Zhi replied meaningfully.

Xue Ya’er thought for a moment and asked, "Young Master Lei, do you have a way to get the water from the mountains?"

The moment she heard her words, Yao Zhi smiled and praised her. "Madam is wise." After a moment of pause, she asked, "Can I ask for paper and ink?"