"You knew perfectly well that she had ulterior motives. When she invited you to the garden, she was planning to push you into the water and drown you. In order to succeed, she even sent away the people working in the garden beforehand, but you still went to the appointment without any suspicion."

"You even sent away the maid named Huixiang who was by your side, for fear that she would not find an opportunity."

"If you hadn't been able to swim and pulled her down, would you still be sitting here talking to me today?"

Wen Yichu's tone remained calm, but there was a hint of barely perceptible anger hidden within that calmness.

It was as if they were angry at his lack of ambition, or as if they were disgusted that Yan Li didn't value his own life and that such a risk was not worth it.

In order not to scare her, Wen Yichu believed that she had given Yan Li enough of the sense of security she needed.

In reality, she still didn't want to rely on him or depend on his methods, preferring to use her own scheming methods that would kill a thousand enemies but also harm eight hundred of her own.

However, Wen Yichu's words did not move Yan Li.

In the pavilion, Yan Li stared at Wen Yichu in silence for a long while before slowly speaking, "So, you've been spying on me?"

Almost instantly, after analyzing the details Wen Yichu blurted out, Yan Li arrived at the most likely possibility.

As she spoke, she stood up and began to look around her courtyard, trying to find the shadow of the person hiding in the shadows.

On the eaves, in the branches of trees, or inside the artificial hill...

The thought that someone was secretly watching his every move and telling Wen Yichu everything he did sent chills down Yan Li's spine.

The almost unquestionable challenge caused Wen Yichu to pause for a moment.

He was exposed.

Noticing that Yan Li's expression was not good, Wen Yichu stepped forward and pulled him back. When they met eyes again, there was no doubt that she was wary of him.

"Why?"

Yan Li calmed down a little, but she still managed to break free from Wen Yichu's grasp.

“Ah Li, we left people here to protect you, not to spy on you,” Wen Yichu explained.

“He is my loyal bodyguard. Only with him around can I feel at ease leaving you in the Prime Minister’s residence.”

But he is the crown prince, and in that position, too many people want to harm him.

Even though the month is only halfway through, six waves of assassins have already come to kill him, each time with different people, and even martial arts organizations have been involved.

If he didn't have someone by her side, he was afraid he really wouldn't be able to control himself and wouldn't be able to wait until the wedding three months later.

"Is this why Your Highness left people to monitor me?" Yan Li's expression softened slightly, but he was not without resentment:

"Your Highness also knows that this is the Prime Minister's residence."

"Although the Prime Minister's residence is not comparable to His Highness's Eastern Palace, it is not a place that anyone can enter. It is best to take His Highness's people back."

Yan Li disliked living under the surveillance of others, even if that person was her future husband.

For a long time, the only sounds in the pavilion were the rustling of willow leaves in the wind, and the occasional chirping of birds and cicadas.

"Ah Li is afraid that if she leaves people behind, I'll find out what you're going to do."

Wen Yichu knew that if he couldn't get Yan Li's approval, he would find it difficult to regain her trust. But since the balance had already been broken, he might as well break it completely.

"I can help you."

Wen Yichu paused for a moment, then added, "Except for taking that assassin with you."

Yan Li didn't refute his words, but simply poured Wen Yichu another sip of tea, "Fine, you don't have to take him away, but I want to see what he looks like."

She knew that some things should not be taken to extremes. She couldn't just drive the person away, but letting her know what she looked like was fine too.

At that time, she will have plenty of reasons to expel him from the manor.

Wen Yichu replied without hesitation, "Okay, but he's not here right now."

Yan Li: ?

"What's the meaning?"

Do you remember the few new gardeners who came to your yard at the beginning of the year?

Wen Yichu paused for a moment, then continued:

"There's one of them with a scar on his face and a slight limp."

Yan Li was somewhat surprised, and the way she looked at Wen Yichu slowly changed.

Why is Ali looking at me like that?

Feeling a little embarrassed by the stares, Wen Yichu sat down to the side, picked up the cup of tea, and gulped it down.

“I thought the people His Highness sent would be very close to me,” Yan Li said, pointing to a tree outside the pavilion.

"For example, he would lie on that tree and watch us."

Actually, she did remember the person Wen Yichu mentioned.

I heard that his hometown had suffered a disaster and his only relative had died, so he was kept on because he happened to know a little bit of the art of substitution.

That position, however, can only be reserved for the outer courtyard.

That was somewhat unexpected.

Wen Yichu, who was looking in the direction Yan Li was pointing, almost couldn't swallow the tea in her mouth:

"..."

Yan Li pointed to that spot, and indeed one could see all the people in the courtyard.

It's estimated that at most, within the time it takes for an incense stick to burn, his men will be captured by his good father-in-law and sent back to him.

Besides, he wasn't that perverted; he just wanted to know her general whereabouts.

"Can Ali feel at ease letting him stay now?"

Yan Li: "It's barely passable."

"Is there anything else you need my help with, Ali?"

Wen Yichu didn't want Yan Li to take another risky move, so she could only remind her that he was always there for her.

Yan Li agreed, "Yes, there really is one."

After this little incident, Wen Yichu had already prepared herself for the possibility of being rejected.

That's really rare.

Wen Yichu looked up: "Speak, what is it?"

Yan Li did not hesitate. After glancing at him, she said directly, "I need Your Highness to tell the Second Prince about her drugging you yesterday."

Wen Yichu put down the teacup she had picked up, looked at Yan Li again, and, realizing that she wasn't joking:

"Does Ali want my second brother to annul the engagement, or does she want to use him as a tool?"

That's too much trouble.

It's better to let him do it.

“This engagement may not be called off.” Yan Li shook his head. “It’s just that I want the Second Prince to know about this.”

She had become certain these past few days that her second sister had indeed been replaced by a different soul. She had even given her a beating yesterday, and she figured it wouldn't be long before her sister would take action.

Wasn't she using Wen Zizhuo as her backup plan? Shouldn't she at least let this backup plan know who she was protecting?

"Does Your Highness not want to see dogs fighting?" Yan Li noticed Wen Yichu's displeasure and added.

As a prince, Wen Zizhuo was known for his love of debauchery and frequenting brothels, neglecting state affairs. Everyone thought he had no interest in the throne.

However, Wen Yichu was very clear that his second brother was involved in the operation of those assassins in the martial arts world.

Wen Yichu wasn't really keen on watching this play.

After all, he's seen too many dog ​​fights; he might be even more excited if it were a human fighting a dog.

But he didn't want to spoil Ah Li's fun. Since she wanted to watch the show, then let her watch it.

"Can."