"This is ridiculous," Lu Tianjiao muttered angrily to himself, secretly pursing his lips. But then his gaze inadvertently fell on Yi Shangyun, who was still standing there dumbfounded.

Lu Tianjiao stared intently at the thin, veiled woman in front of him, who appeared to be malnourished.

Meanwhile, Yi Shangyun's heart was pounding, and she looked flustered. She was wondering how Xuan Yuan Yue knew about the newly made sachet in her sleeve.

Xuan Yuanhan was of noble and extraordinary status, yet he saved her from danger time and time again. She, on the other hand, was of humble origin and poor, and knew that she could not possibly offer any rare or decent congratulatory gift.

But everyone knows that the King of Qin has always been diligent in governing and caring for his people, managing countless affairs of state, and constantly waging war across the four seas and eight wastelands. Therefore, she hurriedly prepared this medicinal sachet overnight, which has the effects of repelling insects and poisons, nourishing the heart and regulating qi, and promoting sleep and calming the mind.

Her gift was already insignificant, but after seeing the rare and precious gifts presented by the Western Qin Academy in the main hall, she was even more at a loss for what excuse to offer hers, which was not even a small token, and she was afraid of being misunderstood. She simply decided to keep it hidden and not take it out, but she never expected... how did Xuan Yuan Yue find out?

Just as Yi Shangyun was still looking on incredulously, the sachet of medicine had already reached Xuan Yuanhan's hands.

On the elegant and serene sapphire blue silk sachet were a few sprigs of white plum blossoms. At this moment, Xuan Yuanhan gently held the sachet with his right hand, brought it close to his nose, closed his eyes slightly, and took a deep breath. He felt a refreshing scent, and even if he had a thousand worries, the wind would stir the tassels, and the tassels would flutter, and all his sorrows would disappear.

Everyone present stared at Xuan Yuanhan's intoxicated expression, deeply attracted by the vivid and captivating picture of the handsome man before them. Only Yi Shangyun, upon seeing this, suddenly buried her head again and dared not raise it again.

Suddenly, the warm, romantic, and peaceful atmosphere was shattered by Lu Tianjiao, who could no longer bear it any longer. "Your Highness," he said, "since ancient times, sachets have been made by the bride and given to her upon entering the family. Your actions are probably against the rules."

Xuan Yuan Yue immediately showed annoyance at Lu Tianjiao for ruining the beautiful atmosphere. She glared at Lu Tianjiao and said, "Hmph, the Prince of Qin is my royal uncle. I can give whatever I want as a wedding gift. Who dares to question me? Besides, I think this sachet is most suitable for my royal uncle. It is made of many precious herbs. Oh, right, Yun'er, you tell me."

Seeing that Xuan Yuan Yue was at a loss for what to do and was embarrassed, Yi Shangyun quickly raised his head and stepped forward to speak, "Your Highness, this sachet is made of dozens of precious herbs such as Atractylodes lancea, Kaempferia galanga, Angelica dahurica, Acorus calamus, Pogostemon cablin, Eupatorium fortunei, and Artemisia argyi. It has the effects of repelling insects and warding off evil spirits, preventing disease, strengthening the body, and refreshing the mind."

Lu Tianjiao was speechless after being confronted by the two people in front of him. He even regretted his impulsive and ill-considered actions. He never expected that the masked woman he had been scrutinizing for so long was actually a person with considerable medical skills.

She had so abruptly uttered such rude words. In her haste, she had forgotten that Xuan Yuan Yue was the most favored princess of the Western Qin royal family, and always known for her cleverness and unpredictability, so she didn't need to hold back or worry about anything. Moreover, the recipient of her gift was her own royal uncle, so no one would dare question what she gave.

Lu Tianjiao and Xuan Yuan Yue have always appeared to be on good terms since childhood, but Xuan Yuan Yue has never liked Lu Tianjiao's personality. She always felt that although Lu Tianjiao seemed dignified, polite, gentle, and generous on the surface, she was actually very scheming. Therefore, she had never bothered to associate with her since childhood, and now she would not be willing to show weakness to her, and would definitely argue until Lu Tianjiao had no words to say.

Lu Tianjiao, however, secretly turned his gaze to Yi Shangyun, who was bowing her head in bewilderment, and wondered to himself, "This sachet clearly belongs to this girl, so why does Xuanyuan Yue say it's hers? And why would Xuanyuan Yue give that girl's sachet to His Highness Prince Qin? Even she could tell that the sachet didn't belong to Xuanyuan Yue, so how could Brother Han not know? And yet he accepted it so readily. Is there something I don't know about this?"

“This young lady seems familiar. I wonder if we have met before?” Lu Tianjiao’s eyes lit up as he had a new idea. He looked at Yi Shangyun and suddenly spoke.

Yi Shangyun was instantly astonished. She always covered her face with a veil, which was quite unusual and inevitably aroused suspicion. However, when faced with Lu Tianjiao's questioning, she only said, "This servant is a lowly apothecary serving Princess Yue in the palace. How could I possibly know the noble Miss Lu?"

At this moment, Lu Tianjiao fully remembered that it was this masked woman who accompanied Xuan Yuan Yue to Butterfly Valley of Xi Qin Academy to admire butterflies last time. So he stepped forward and hurriedly confirmed, "Oh, I remember now, it was you who accompanied Her Highness the Princess to Butterfly Valley of the Academy to admire butterflies last time, right?"

Yi Shangyun remained silent, but Xuan Yuan Yue could tell from her expression that she must have something difficult to say, so she stepped forward to help her out, saying, "What, does this princess need Miss Lu's approval to decide who accompanies her?"

"Your Highness misunderstands. I wouldn't dare. I simply felt a sense of familiarity upon seeing her and wished to get to know her. Besides, I only wanted to know her maiden name; it's nothing outrageous, is it?"

Lu Tianjiao spoke with unusual confidence and self-assurance.

"Hmph, like a weasel offering New Year's greetings to a chicken, you're probably up to no good. Since Miss Lu is so interested in one of my maids, I'll grant your wish today, considering Uncle Qin's satisfaction with my wedding gift. Yun'er, tell Miss Lu your name so she'll remember you well," Xuan Yuan Yue said coldly to Yi Shang Yun.

"Princess...this servant..." Yi Shangyun hesitated, but finally spoke with utter helplessness.

“Miss Lu, my daughter’s name is… Yi Shangyun.”

"What, Yi Shangyun?" Lu Tianjiao and Lu Tianlin, who had been sitting silently and sipping tea, almost jumped up from their seats at the same time. Xuan Yuan Yue was also shocked. The three of them looked over and stared at Yi Shangyun's face.

Before Lu Tianjiao could speak, Lu Tianlin stood up and stepped forward to ask, "You just said your name is Yi Shangyun. Are you the young lady Yi Shangyun from the Yi Shangkun family in the west of the city, the Yi Shangyun who has been in a coma for a year?"

Lu Tianlin questioned him with a look of astonishment and panic, while Yi Shangyun looked into his eyes and nodded slightly in affirmation.

When Lu Tianlin saw her nod in agreement, his body trembled slightly and he instinctively took two steps back. Indeed, he had not seen the beautiful face of this young lady of the Yi family until the day he personally went to her door to annul the engagement.

Lu Tianlin never expected that she had actually woken up at some point. Moreover, apart from the veil covering her face, her demeanor and behavior today did not resemble the useless and weak person she was rumored to be.

Lu Tianjiao realized then that her cleverness had backfired, and she had clearly embarrassed herself in this situation. However, in front of her beloved Prince Qin, she still had to do everything in her power to preserve her gentle and virtuous reputation.

She was frantically thinking of a solution: "I must first find a way to save face."

It has to be said that Lu Tianjiao is a master of changing faces. In the blink of an eye, she said, "Sister Yun, when did you wake up? Why didn't you send anyone to the academy to let us know? We've been thinking about you. When did you become a medicine girl in the palace again?"

Lu Tianjiao truly lived up to her reputation as a "pure white lotus," as she was currently supporting Yi Shangyun's arm while asking her questions with concern.

Yi Shangyun simply lowered her head and smiled, without saying a word. She had seen far too many of these familiar, hypocritical tactics in the 21st century.

So she naturally wouldn't truly understand, but in front of everyone, she couldn't just let bygones be bygones, otherwise wouldn't she become a laughingstock and be seen as someone who really cared about this arranged marriage? She had absolutely no desire to get married in this ancient era.

At this moment, Xuan Yuan Yue walked over and pulled away Lu Tian Jiao's delicate hands that were resting on Yi Shang Yun's body, scolding, "How dare you two siblings say such things? Are you disappointed that she woke up? Do you wish that the girl would never wake up?"

“Princess, it’s not what you think,” Lu Tianlin said hurriedly, frowning.

"What do you mean? Did you know she had woken up today, yet you still kept your promise and the Western Qin Academy re-offered to marry Yun'er?" Xuan Yuan Yue deliberately said this to mock him.

“Princess…” At this moment, Yi Shangyun grabbed Xuan Yuan Yue’s wrist and shook her head desperately, signaling her to stop pestering her. Xuan Yuan Yue, however, lowered her eyes and glared fiercely at Yi Shangyun.

Having always called her Yun'er, she assumed she was just an ordinary palace maid, but she never expected her to be the pitiful woman from the Yi family who had been jilted by the Lu family. Suddenly, she felt even more sorry for her.

At this moment, Xuan Yuanhan, who had been sitting silently to the side, exuding an imposing aura, finally spoke slowly, saying, "The past is the past."

He had already ordered his deputy, Cheng Liang, to find out when the grandmother and granddaughter first arrived at the Prince's Mansion that the owner of the handkerchief was Yi Shangyun, whose engagement had been annulled by Lu Tianlin of Xiqin Academy. So he was fully aware of this from the beginning.

Seeing the group arguing incessantly, he had to speak up to calm their anger and shame.

After hearing this, everyone fell silent, each lost in their own thoughts.

Although Yi Shangyun has woken up, Lu Tianlin is not the kind of person who would follow his parents' wishes and the words of a matchmaker. Especially after Xuan Yuan Yue reprimanded him at Xi Qin Academy last time, he has vowed to work hard and become a good man who can help his father carry forward Xi Qin Academy.

As for Lu Tianjiao, it was undoubtedly her fault that everything happened today. She intended to humiliate her, but instead, she was humiliated herself. She even dragged her brother into it. Yet, she never imagined that this useless, ugly girl who almost became her sister-in-law would now be so favored by Xuan Yuan Yue, and even her beloved Han-gege seemed to be showing her affection...

The more she thought about it, the more uneasy she felt; the more she thought about it, the angrier and sadder she became. What right did she have?

Just as the room in Chenghua Hall was quiet and everyone was silent, Vice General Cheng Liang hurriedly entered and reported, "Your Highness, the Third Prince Mei Zhixuan, the envoy from Dongning Kingdom, requests an audience."

What brings him here...?