Whether Prime Minister Wang laughed or not is unknown, but Yan Xiyue and Yan Hui, who were hiding in their rooms drinking chilled plum juice and watching the commotion, couldn't laugh.

They weren't sure about others, but Mei Bao really dared to do this.

Everyone else has a people-pleasing personality, but Mei Bao has been a confrontational personality since she was little...

When she was little, she was mistaken for a thief while playing outside. While other little girls would have been tearfully and pitifully defending themselves, my little sister, with her soft, adorable chubby face, arrogantly tossed her braids around—

"Go ahead and try to kill me if you dare!!"

What's this? A dog on the street. Kick it.

What is this? A lecherous scoundrel who harasses respectable women—kick him!

What's this? The evil emperor who constantly raids my house... I'll kick him...

"Holy crap! Holy crap!! We can't kick that, baby!!!"

The young brother and sister were startled and immediately rushed forward to protect her behind them.

I remember back then, Mei Bao was studying and learning to read with Princess Yan. At first, the sickly Princess Yan didn't realize the seriousness of the problem until seventeen groups of people came to Mei Bao's door in three days, seeking revenge and challenging her to fight.

The entrance was so crowded it was practically a vegetable market; there was nowhere to put your feet.

Princess Yan sighed and rubbed her forehead.

"Zhi'er, I don't expect you to be ambitious... Just don't tell your teacher if you cause trouble in the future, okay?"

But it is precisely this kind of young girl who attracts special attention.

Her brother used to be the one cleaning up her messes, but later it was him. Even knowing she wouldn't let herself be wronged, so many people still loved her unconditionally.

Thinking of this, Yan Hui chuckled, but as she laughed, she suddenly felt an emptiness in her heart.

Perhaps if she were more ordinary, more common, would she also obediently follow behind him and sweetly call out "Brother Yan" a few times?

Sometimes, he even wished she weren't so likable.

One after another, how could he possibly keep up with them all...?

"Brother, what are you daydreaming about?"

Yan Xiyue gave Yan Huishi an elbow strike, and Yan Huishi, regaining her senses, casually ruffled her younger sister's hair.

"Are you still standing here staring blankly? She's about to sneak away; it'll be too late if you don't chase after her now."

Yes, it will be too late if we don't catch up now.

——

Having dumped the mess on his father, Zhan Xinjia dashed off through the back door to Prince Yan's residence.

She hasn't visited her master since she returned to Beijing.

The main reason is that Master seems to dislike Lord Shen. Although she doesn't know why, Zhan Xinjia still feels a little guilty.

For the three troublemakers, the Prince Yan's mansion was as familiar as their happy old home. Not to mention Zhan Xinjia, this couple was also the royal uncle and aunt of the Yan siblings.

Leaving Yan Xiyue and the others to drink tea in the foyer, Zhan Xinjia headed straight for the Xunfang Pavilion in the backyard.

When she pushed open the door, Mu Yunlan was lying on the sickbed, coughing.

The room was dimly lit, with no windows open or lights on, and the room was filled with a lingering, bitter smell of Chinese medicine.

The woman paused slightly, then quietly wiped away the blood she had coughed up with a handkerchief, and smiled gently.

"It's paper. Come here to your master."

Zhan Xinjia hesitated, twisting the hem of her dress. She was very worried about her master's condition, but she didn't know how to ask. It seemed that showing concern would be useless, after all, her master's chronic illness had been going on for quite some time...

Sitting on the edge of the bed, she rested her head quietly against the woman's shoulder.

"Master..."

"Hmm? Why do you look so preoccupied?"

Mu Yunlan lifted a finger and tucked a stray strand of hair behind the girl's ear, then smiled and patted her head. She then lifted a corner of the blanket, gesturing for the girl to take off her shoes and sit down with her.

After briefly recounting the story of Lan Jiang and the prophetic goddess, Zhan Xinjia was unusually heavy-hearted.

"Master, do you think there really are such powerful people in the world?"

Mu Yunlan's face first showed a hint of surprise, which then turned into a look of pity, with a hint of helplessness in her eyes.

"Perhaps. Just as I came into this world, who can guarantee that there isn't another me in the world? Although I don't know what their purpose is, they don't seem to be willing to give up easily."

Zhan Xinjia got closer to her.

"Alright, I was just asking casually, Master, don't worry so much. Is it because you're sick again that you're covering yourself with such a thick blanket in the summer? Are you taking your medicine properly? I really hope Master gets better soon."

Listening to the little girl's rambling, Mu Yunlan felt a warmth in her heart and couldn't help but smile.

Her pale fingertips brushed against the little girl's temples, her gaze filled with tenderness, and she leaned down to press her cheek against the girl's.

"If there really is a way to cure me, and it only requires a small price to pay, would Paper be willing to do it for me?"

Zhan Xinjia was stunned.

The master's tone made it seem as if she already knew the solution, but simply lacked the ability to implement it at the moment.

Even after his master went to sleep, Zhan Xinjia, who had left the room, was still very concerned about this matter.

Thick, leaden clouds gathered outside the eaves, pressing down on the bleak, gray sky, making it appear dark and oppressive.

The rain, which started at some unknown time, temporarily washed away the sweltering heat of summer and cleansed the world. The noisy sound of the rain, like scattered pearls falling to the ground, was inexplicably irritating, dripping and pattering, making it impossible to calm down.

In a daze, Zhan Xinjia saw a person sitting in the shadows at the corner of the corridor not far away.

It was a man sitting in a wheelchair.

He wore a dark black robe with a front opening, his skin was so white it was almost like that of a dead person, and his face was extremely pale and bony, with deep-set, sinister eyes that were particularly striking.

They looked like two lifeless glass beads.

From childhood, Zhan Xinjia had always been afraid of Prince Yan. Even though he mostly just sat quietly in his wheelchair, without saying a word, and didn't even need to move all day, she would always feel a chill down her spine and goosebumps whenever he looked at her.

Rumor has it that her master and Prince Yan were in love before she married into the family, but Zhan Xinjia has always been puzzled by the fact that her master and Prince Yan don't seem to be very familiar with each other.

They looked more like strangers living under the same roof than a married couple.

Perhaps other people have their own ways of getting along. Is this what is meant by "a respectful and harmonious marriage"?

Shaking her head, Zhan Xinjia walked into the rain.

"Why didn't you borrow an umbrella from a maid?"

Seeing that Zhan Xinjia was soaked to the bone like a drowned kitten, Yan Hui hurriedly came to greet her.

He raised his hand and tapped her head in an annoyed tone, then subconsciously reached out to touch her hand to see if it was cold.

But as soon as he reached out, a clear and steady voice immediately rang out.

"What a coincidence, Your Highnesses are here as well?"

Standing at the doorway, a man with a calm and gentle smile appeared. He naturally reached out to the little girl and, to Yan Huishi's astonishment, preemptively grasped her slightly cool hand.

"Ah Zhi, let's go home."

"Master Xiao Shen!"

"Yes, it's almost dinner time, and it just so happens to be raining outside, so I came to pick you up."

Shen Suqing answered calmly.

His gaze never fell on anyone else from beginning to end.

Zhan Xinjia followed him outside with some skepticism.

How did Lord Shen know she was at Prince Yan's residence? And he said he came to pick her up because it was raining outside, but... it had only been raining for a short time, and Lord Shen clearly didn't have an umbrella.

Judging from how wet his clothes were on his shoulders, he seemed to have been standing in the rain for some time.

Could it be that Lord Shen has been following her ever since she left home? But what is Lord Shen doing following her?

As Zhan Xinjia was pondering this dilemma, the young man walking ahead suddenly stopped.

"Although your leg injury has almost healed, it still involves a bone fracture, and it might still hurt a bit on rainy, damp days. Come here, let me carry you."

Before the girl could refuse, Shen Suqing had already taken off his outer robe and draped it over her head.

Zhan Xinjia hesitated for only a moment.

She stood on the steps and lightly leaped, only to be caught firmly by him.

Just like when they were fleeing for their lives last time, he carried her on his back, only this time they were on the safe and comforting road home.

With her cheek pressed against his back, Zhan Xinjia's inexplicably restless heart gradually calmed down, resonating with his heartbeat.

The summer rain drizzled down, and the June wind was not strong. The slanting raindrops hit the clothes covering her head with a soft pattering sound, which was extremely hypnotic and made her feel extremely safe.

She was completely covered by his robe, which was soaked with the faint fragrance of ink, limiting her field of vision. She could only barely glimpse a small section of wet blue bricks on the road through the gap between his back and the hem of his robe.

Watching the receding bluestone bricks, Zhan Xinjia secretly wondered where Little Shen had taken her now.

Once he had guessed fairly well, he would secretly lift a corner of his robe to confirm his guess.

She would chuckle quietly when she guessed correctly.

The young man seemed to notice her childish little game that she was playing to amuse herself.

He didn't speak, but the corners of his lips unconsciously turned up.

Silly child...

As we approached the doorway, the little girl on my back spoke in a muffled voice.

"Master Xiao Shen."

"Um?"

"If I were a little beggar, would you still have taken me in?"

"certainly."

"Why, Lord Shen?"

Let me tell you, a little beggar is someone who has no parents or home, and they might pick up a lot of bad habits outside, like being unclean, stealing, having a bad temper, or being mentally ill and liking to hit people randomly...

Even so, will you still take me back?

Although he didn't know how the little girl had suddenly come up with such a childish question, he put her down on the ground under the eaves and in front of the threshold, and helplessly touched her messy hair that was sticking up under her robe.

His eyes were bright and clear, yet he still answered gently and earnestly.

"It's okay, I'll raise you all over again."