Before I even entered the house, I heard my father's long-absent scolding coming from the inner room. He was talking about General Zhen'an secretly hoarding military funds, the corrupt practices of the county magistrate in Jizhou, and all kinds of accusations that were no different from what I had heard when I was still in the Grand Secretary's residence. My eldest brother smiled at me and reached out to knock on the study door.

"Ah Jin? Come in." The scolding abruptly ceased, and I followed behind my eldest brother as we slowly entered Father's study. Speaking of which, I actually quite admired Father's ability to switch his attitude so effortlessly. One moment he would be hurling insults, and the next he would revert back to normal as if nothing had happened. Such mastery was truly beyond my own abilities to learn.

"You...you...Ah Ying, Ah Ying, you've finally returned. Come here, let your father see you." My father was incredibly excited to see me. I don't know if it's just my imagination, but I feel like his brows and eyes are no longer as stern as before. I slightly bowed and performed a standard palace etiquette towards my father before saying, "Daughter has been unfilial, causing father to worry."

Father came over to help me up, and suddenly his face darkened a bit. He looked at me and said, "Ayin, what are you wearing? What did you put on your face? Why do you look so flashy? Who taught you to dress like this? Quickly wipe it off." Hearing my father's words, I suddenly remembered the peony flower I had painted on my face, and the clothes I was wearing today, the black robe I had worn at Lanshan Tower. It seemed dignified, but still carried a hint of the air of a woman who had experienced the world. I regretted not changing my clothes in my room before coming to see my father. Just as I didn't know how to explain to my father, he said, "It's alright, it's alright, as long as you're back. Ayin, promise me, don't sneak out anymore. If you want to go out, tell me and I'll send someone to protect you."

Then there was a dim yellow light. Suddenly, I noticed that my father seemed to have aged a few years. In my memory, my father was extremely concerned with ritual and propriety. Otherwise, he wouldn't have supervised me every day to copy "The Book of Women's Conduct" and "The Book of Women's Rules." But now, looking at my father like this, I felt a little at a loss. A sense of guilt surged in my heart for a moment.

Father held my hand and talked about our family matters for a while, then he asked my eldest brother to accompany me back to my room. On our way, my usually silent eldest brother suddenly spoke up, saying, "Aying, during the days you were gone, Father went crazy looking for you. Every day after court, he would send his personal guards to search for you everywhere. But you are, after all, a noble lady of the imperial family. Father desperately sought you but couldn't speak up, afraid of disturbing the emperor's attention and tarnishing your reputation. This period of time has truly aged Father, and luckily you have returned. Father can finally set his heart at ease."

The words of my eldest brother made the guilt in my heart become even stronger. I lowered my head and whispered, "It's my fault, Ah Ying. I made Father and my eldest brother worry." My eldest brother didn't speak again. He only stopped at a certain place and said, "Ah Ying, you've arrived at Yunying Garden. Rest well, and I won't go inside."

I nodded and watched as Big Brother's figure disappeared. Then, I took slow steps and entered Yunying Garden. The arrangement inside the house was exactly the same as when I left, even the flowers that I liked to put on the desk were still in their original place. If it weren't for the fact that the flowers were still extremely vibrant and showed no signs of withering, I would have thought that they were the ones I had put there myself. As for me, it seemed I had never left this room, let alone visited any obscure building.