Engagement token!

Xiao Ye paused, a strange sense of irritation rising within him for some unknown reason.

Indeed, when he gave the girl the jade pendant when he was a child, he told her that when she grew up and met him again, she should bring this jade pendant and say that he would marry her.

Now, the scene overlaps with his childhood, but he feels no joy; instead, he finds it jarring and irritating.

"You don't need to offer yourself to me. I'm already married. I'm sure the magistrate will find you a suitable husband."

After saying a cold remark, Xiao Ye left without a second thought.

At this moment, Ye Dong, who was following behind, was extremely surprised.

Like Ye Han, he knew about his master's past.

The master has been searching for the girl from his childhood, wanting to repay her for the kindness she showed him back then.

Even before marrying the Crown Princess, the master had considered marrying that girl.

What no one expected was that during his period of seclusion, the master encountered the Crown Princess who had been forcibly brought into the palace, and the Crown Princess even cured the master's leg.

Contrary to rumors, the Crown Princess and her master got along very well as they spent time together.

Now that the girl they were looking for back then has suddenly appeared, Ye Dong was initially worried for the Crown Princess, thinking that his master would take this woman back with him.

Who would have thought that the master would be so indifferent?

He didn't mention a single thing about what happened back then.

However, this woman seems to be getting restless. Although it's unclear whether she knows that her master is the same person from back then, judging from her attitude, she's definitely trying to cling to him.

Seeing Xiao Ye leave so heartlessly, the magistrate's daughter could only grit her teeth in silence.

At night, a sliver of cool moonlight shone into the room through the gauze window.

Unable to sleep, Xiao Ye sat by the window, stroking the jade pendant in his hand.

He tried hard to recall his childhood, but Su Liluo's image kept popping into his mind.

In the end, he could only smile helplessly.

I wonder how Su Liluo is doing at this very moment, under the same bright moon, far away in the imperial city.

His heart had been filled with her without him even realizing it.

Thinking of Su Liluo, a sweet smile unconsciously appeared on his lips.

But as he thought about it, he felt a wave of shame and regret.

If he had known he would meet Su Liluo later, why would he have made such a promise to another woman when he was a child?

Although he has not betrayed Su Liluo now, he still feels guilty whenever he thinks about the promises he made to other women.

*

Meanwhile, far away in the capital city, in the study of the Chu Prince's mansion, a candle was lit.

After listening to his subordinate's report, Xiao Churen's face darkened.

With a loud 'smack,' he angrily swung his sleeve, sweeping several books off the table and onto the floor.

"You're saying the Crown Prince took all the valuables?"

Xiao Churen's gaze was frighteningly cold.

The subordinate replied tremblingly, "Yes, Your Highness, the situation was urgent. If we had still brought those valuables with us, we probably wouldn't have been able to evacuate! Even so, we still lost quite a few people."

"How could this happen? How did those men in green sneak in? You guys are useless! How could you not have noticed beforehand!"

Xiao Churen continued angrily.

Originally, he thought Xiao Ye was only leading five thousand men to suppress bandits, but the appearance of the group of men in green completely disrupted his plans.

Originally, he wanted Xiao Ye to die at Langya Mountain.

"Your Highness, those men in black seem to be martial arts practitioners. They are highly skilled, each capable of taking on ten, and they are all clever and cunning. Our private soldiers are no match for them!"

The subordinate said helplessly.

"A martial arts figure? How could the Crown Prince associate with martial arts figures?"

Upon hearing this, Xiao Churen calmed down immediately. After thinking about it carefully for a while, he realized that Xiao Ye was probably not as simple as he appeared.

It seems that Xiao Ye still has many secrets.

Thinking about it this way, although he suffered heavy losses this time, he did not gain nothing. At least he learned that Xiao Ye still had influence in the martial arts world.

and......

"Oh, right, send someone to inform Qi Yinyin that she must stay by the Crown Prince's side no matter what means she has to use!"

As Xiao Churen thought of his other plan, the anger on his face slowly faded.

*

Qi Yinyin waited in the house for a whole day, but there was no sign that Xiao Ye would come to see her or ask about the jade pendant.

She couldn't help but feel a little anxious. The Crown Prince's expression was clearly different when he saw the jade pendant, so why didn't he continue looking for her?

Could it be that he didn't like her?

This... shouldn't be the case, she's always been confident in her appearance.

But even after she had said those words, the Crown Prince hadn't made any statement, which really made her anxious.

After much deliberation, Qi Yinyin finally decided to stage a self-inflicted injury.

She was sick, suffering from recurring high fevers, constant vomiting, and an inability to eat anything, all while constantly holding the jade pendant in her mouth.

Sometimes she cries, sometimes she's afraid.

The news quickly reached Xiao Ye's ears; the county magistrate personally went to Xiao Ye's house to tell him.

"Your Highness, my daughter is very ill. Would you like to go see her? She keeps calling out Your Highness's name."

The county magistrate pleaded with a worried expression.

Xiao Ye glanced at the county magistrate and asked only, "Did your daughter grow up in Langya County? Has she ever been to the capital?"

"My daughter... to be honest, she is my adopted daughter, the daughter of my friend. I have no children of my own. Originally, Yinyin was the daughter of a merchant in the capital. Later, her parents died unexpectedly, and I adopted her."

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