Xue Shaojun walked towards her with a smile, draped the cloak from his arm over her shoulders, and asked gently, "Are you cold?" He then smelled the faint scent of alcohol on her and asked, "Have you been drinking? Didn't I say you can't hold your liquor and should drink less?"

"I was in a good mood today, so I had a couple of drinks." Xie Qinglan adjusted her cloak, lowered her eyes, and said softly, "I didn't drink too much."

Shen Youying, who was observing the two of them, smiled and said, "Qinglan's alcohol tolerance is not bad, but she has just recovered from a cold, so I didn't dare let her drink too much. She only had two cups today, and I drank the rest." Shen Youying said jokingly, "...You mustn't blame her when we get back."

No matter how approachable Shen Youying appeared, she was still the Princess Consort of Qin. Xue Shaojun dared not forget her status, and cupped his hands in a helpless gesture, saying, "How could I bear to reprimand her? I'm just afraid she'll feel unwell after drinking too much."

Shen Youying nodded slightly, as if it were just a casual remark. She handed the hand warmer she had taken from Xue Shen to Xie Qinglan, and then gave the food box that she had asked the kitchen to prepare in advance to Xie Qinglan's maid, saying, "You've lost so much weight, you must make sure to nourish yourself when you get back. I asked the kitchen to prepare a portion of all the snacks and fruits you like, you can take them back and eat them. When you have time next time, let's go to Fanlou to eat lamb spine hot pot."

Xie Qinglan felt the warmth in her hands, smiled and agreed, then waved goodbye before leaving with Xue Shaojun.

Shen Youying stood there gazing at her retreating figure until she had left through the gate and was no longer in sight, before she looked away with some concern.

Xue Shen grasped her cool hand and had the guards push him towards Tingmei Pavilion, a hint of annoyance in his voice: "Everyone's gone, what are you still looking at?"

Shen Youying glared at him, then hesitated before asking, "Just now, when Your Highness was talking to Xue Liulang, what kind of person did you think Xue Liulang was?"

Her words were somewhat strange, but Xue Shen thought for a moment and said, "I only exchanged a few polite words with him and couldn't tell much from him, but he is indeed a person who is good at putting on a show."

"What do you mean?" Shen Youying asked, somewhat puzzled.

Before today, she had a very good impression of Xue Shaojun, and even Vice Minister Xie, who had always disliked sons of noble families, seemed to be very satisfied with this son-in-law.

If Shen Youying were to describe him, Xue Shaojun would be one of the most gentlemanly men she had ever met.

But Xue Shen said he was good at superficial things... Shen Youying secretly breathed a sigh of relief.

“From the moment he saw me, he remained neither humble nor arrogant, and always acted with propriety. He seemed unconcerned about my identity or the rumors,” Xue Shen said calmly. “But his eyes told a different story.”

Xue Shen tapped the armrest and chuckled, "A person's ambition cannot be hidden. His eyes are not those of a scholar, but more like those of a politician who is good at scheming and intrigue. Just now, when we were chatting, he kept showing off his talent, intentionally or unintentionally."

He has witnessed too much of the darkness in people's hearts and does not hesitate to think of people in the worst possible light.

Therefore, Xue Shaojun could deceive others, but he could not deceive him.

Shen Youying's worry deepened as she recalled the various unusual things Xie Qinglan had shown today.

She and Xie Qinglan used to be inseparable best friends. If either of them was wronged, they would stand up for each other in solidarity, and they rarely kept secrets from each other. But today, Xie Qinglan was clearly hiding something from her, not wanting her to delve into it.

Shen Youying didn't know if there was some inside story that Xie Qinglan couldn't tell her, fearing that revealing the matter rashly would put her in a difficult position. So after thinking for a long time, she could only look to Xue Shen for help and tentatively ask, "Your Highness, could you... help me investigate Xue Shaojun?"

"Did Miss Xie confide in you today?" Xue Shen asked.

Shen Youying shook her head: "It's precisely because she didn't say anything that it's even more worrying."

Xie Qinglan is not a person who is thoughtful or good at keeping secrets. The more she tries to hide things, the more worried Shen Youying becomes that she might have suffered some injustice but is holding back from saying it.

But no matter how much she thought about it, she couldn't understand what Xie Qinglan could keep to herself without even telling her.

"Let's investigate whether Young Master Xue is keeping a mistress or has any hidden illnesses..."

When the "hidden illness" was mentioned, Shen Youying's ears turned slightly red. She didn't really have any ideas, so she could only make some wild guesses and ask Xue Shen to send someone to investigate.

Xue Shen's expression was also somewhat complicated. He twitched his brows and couldn't help but ask, "What do you and the eldest daughter of the Xie family usually talk about in private?"

Shen Youying glanced at him and said, "Since these are a woman's private words, how can I tell them to you?" She then urged, "Can Your Highness help me investigate? If not, I will have to find someone outside to keep an eye on things and see if I find anything."

Xue Shen rarely saw her so anxious and agitated. Her eyebrows were raised and her eyes were wide open, like a cat with its fur standing on end, making one's hands itch.

Xue Shen did exactly what he was thinking. He pulled her onto his lap, rubbed her waist, and then massaged her earlobe. When Shen Youying tried to push him away in a hurry, he slowly said, "I can investigate. But how will Zhao Zhao repay me?"

Shen Youying stared at him with wide eyes, clearly not expecting him to take advantage of her misfortune and demand repayment for her kindness.

Xue Shen slid his hand down and pinched the back of her neck, coaxing her in a seductive tone: "I have a secret guard who is best at gathering intelligence."

Shen Youying hesitated, biting her lip, when she saw Xue Shen lift her hand, press his thumb and forefinger into his palm, and straighten his middle, ring and little fingers: "At most three days, we should have a clue."

"What do you want in return?" Shen Youying was moved by his words and reluctantly asked.

Xue Shen's hand slid down her spine to her waist, grasped her waist and pressed her towards him, then kneaded her waist a few times with varying pressure, saying, "I haven't tried this wheelchair yet."

Shen Youying: ?

She stared at Xue Shen in disbelief, her eyes filled with shock and confusion.

Xue Shen held her hand and placed it on his belt, raising an eyebrow and smiling: "This time, Zhao Zhao will do it herself."

...

At first, Shen Youying didn't know what she meant by coming, but when she did, she was so ashamed that she wanted to find a hole to crawl into.

Her clothes were scattered messily beside the wheelchair. She was only wearing a small top and a petticoat embroidered with carp. She struggled to hold onto the armrests of the wheelchair, her eyes red and filled with tears as she looked at Xue Shen accusingly.

Xue Shen's heart softened at her soft and helpless gaze. He leaned over and gently kissed her brow and the tip of her nose, finally exchanging a deep, wet kiss.

After kissing her until she was soft and weak in his arms, he gently rubbed her earlobe with his teeth and whispered hoarsely, "Why are you crying? I'll help you."