wait

"My goodness, look at this, listen to this! What kind of behavior is this? What concubine's daughter would dare to disrespect her stepmother? Even if it's Liu, even if the stepmother is no longer alive, even if the stepmother is disliked, you still can't curse her like this! This is utterly lacking in manners!!"

"Hmph! I'm so angry! If it weren't for the sake of your young lady's reputation, I would have already started arguing with them!!"

"And this Liu Ruyan, she's an absolute idiot! Spoiled to this extent, yet they still dare to send her to the Prince's mansion. Are they afraid she'll live too long?"

Jiang Yan is a very emotional person; her joy and anger are always written on her face. Huang Ying watched her angry, exaggerated expression while thinking, and after she calmed down, she said.

"My lord, I find this very strange."

Jiang Yan didn't care and casually laughed, "Of course it's strange! What 'well-bred lady' and 'perfect manners'? It's all a lie!"

"No, Master, don't you think the Master's reaction to the young lady's mother was excessive?"

"Yeah, I feel a lot of hatred!"

"Yes, we were husband and wife after all, and my wife has been gone for many years. There's no reason for us to still hold a grudge!"

Jiang Yan couldn't help but laugh and said, "You should ask yourself that. You've been staying at the Liu residence for so long, and you're only realizing it today?"

Huang Ying was embarrassed: "It's not you, mistress. I've been taking care of you, young lady. I've only heard about other things, I haven't seen them with my own eyes."

"What could possibly happen to make a man hate a woman so much?" Jiang Yan murmured to himself, lost in thought along with Huang Ying.

Then, after a long while, they both seemed to have a sudden realization, and exclaimed in unison, "Could it be because..." before stopping abruptly.

Jiang Yanqing couldn't help but swallow twice, and after thinking about it in disbelief for a while, she leaned her head close to Huang Ying and said in a voice that only the two of them could hear.

"Could it be disloyalty?"

Huang Ying also looked incredulous, but had already begun to consider the possibility.

Jiang Yan, lost in her thoughts, said, "The deeper the love, the harsher the criticism. Only someone who loves another deeply can harbor such intense hatred. Liu Xiangyi hates Liu Ruyi's birth mother, and by extension, Liu Ruyi herself. Do you think it's possible that Liu Ruyi isn't Liu Xiangyi's biological child?!"

These words were like a thunderclap from a clear sky, startling Huang Ying so much that her expression changed and her whole body tensed up.

"No way, Master, you shouldn't make wild guesses."

"Then what do you think it could be? Is there some kind of grudge between them? What kind of grudge could lead to such a dead person being targeted? Also, if Liu Ruyi is his biological child, why has he always treated her badly? Why has he allowed that mother and daughter to bully her?"

"This... this servant does not know, but Your Majesty's guess is truly too... presumptuous."

Jiang Yan couldn't help but smile slightly, "Don't worry, I wouldn't dare to speak recklessly about something like this unless I was absolutely certain. However, this could be an opportunity. Perhaps we can find out the true relationship between Liu Ruyi and Liu Xiangyi, and then discover the real reason why your young lady fell into the water, and seek justice for her!"

Huang Ying thought about it for a moment and agreed with her suggestion.

“Your Majesty is right. If we start from this angle, we might be able to find out why Madam was out of favor and seek justice for her passing!”

"Well, we'll have to think about what to do then."

Jiang Yan got off the carriage and walked into the mansion with her head down, not noticing that Shangguan Zeyu was standing at the door watching her with a doting smile.

She stepped over the threshold and saw a pair of black boots suddenly appear in front of her. Without thinking much, she planned to walk around him to the left, but the owner of the black boots followed her to the right and blocked her way again.

Jiang Yan was preoccupied with the matter she had suspected in the carriage, so she had no interest in paying him any attention. Seeing his attitude, she tried to walk around him in the other direction, but he followed her like a shadow, blocking her way again.

Jiang Yan finally understood that he was doing this on purpose. He was in a bad mood and looked up at him angrily, but when he saw that it was Shangguan Zeyu, he quickly put on a flattering smile.

"Your Highness, what a coincidence! What are you doing here?" She smiled and looked around, but Zhang Qin was nowhere to be seen.

"Ruyi, you've gone out? Where did you go?" Shangguan Zeyu was in a good mood and took Jiang Yan's left hand as she spoke.

Jiang Yan's gaze was involuntarily drawn to his actions.

He placed Jiang Yan's left hand in his left palm, and then gently patted it with his right hand, as if to soothe Jiang Yan's heart, or perhaps just to do so.

Jiang Yan's mind and body were hypnotized by his gentle actions. She just watched quietly without blinking as he slowly and rhythmically patted her left palm, as if he was constantly expressing his tenderness.

"Are you tired? I'll take you back." Shangguan Zeyu said, taking Jiang Yan's left hand and slowly heading towards Pear Blossom Residence.

Jiang Yan didn't realize what was happening until they had walked some distance. In her haste, she abruptly pulled her left hand away from Shangguan Zeyu's grasp.

Shangguan Zeyu was somewhat taken aback.

Jiang Yan was also somewhat taken aback by the realization.

She stared blankly at Shangguan Zeyu, who also stared back blankly, seemingly puzzled by her earlier outburst.

After a brief moment of mental blankness, Jiang Yan immediately regained his senses.

"Hehe, Your Highness, I haven't washed my hands yet, and I'm afraid I'll get your hands dirty."

"...Is that the reason?" Shangguan Zeyu's voice was indifferent, revealing no other emotions.

Jiang Yan couldn't guess what he was thinking, but since they were already putting on an act, they had to be stubborn and do it well no matter what.

"Hehe, really, Your Highness. I was walking too fast, and my palms are sweaty. They're all sticky and uncomfortable to touch."

Shangguan Zeyu lowered his head slightly to look at her, as if trying to see through her eyes: "So what Ruyi means is that as long as you wash your hands in a while, I can keep touching them, is that the logic?"

Jiang Yan was speechless, choked by his words, and chuckled awkwardly twice.

"Let's go."

Jiang Yan caught up with Shangguan Zeyu.

Shangguan Zeyu quietly slowed his pace, letting Jiang Yan walk alongside him.

Jiang Yan noticed that she was walking alongside him, and her heart skipped a beat, so she unconsciously slowed down. Shangguan Zeyu remained silent, but also slowed down, and continued to walk alongside her.

The two remained silent, but there was no awkwardness between them. It wasn't until they arrived at Pear Blossom Residence, where they heard laughter and chatter, that Jiang Yan spoke up, feeling embarrassed.

"Your Highness, it's noisy here, please bear with us."

"It's alright, I just wanted to experience the environment you usually live in, Ruyi." Shangguan Zeyu said, pushing open the door and walking in.

Seeing that he didn't intend to turn back, Jiang Yan quickly leaned down and whispered in Huang Ying's ear, "What should we do?" Then, noticing that he had stopped, she ran over like lightning.

"Your Highness, let's go inside. There are mosquitoes outside." Jiang Yan smiled awkwardly and led the way.

The people chatting and laughing in the courtyard didn't recognize that the man was Shangguan Zeyu at first. They thought he was a stranger and looked at him strangely and warily.

Upon hearing Jiang Yan's words, he realized that Jiang Yan was Shangguan Zeyu, the master of the Duanwang Mansion. He quickly put down his work and knelt down on the ground in reverence.

As Jiang Yan walked to the round table to light the candles, she beckoned to Shangguan Zeyu.

"Please make yourself at home, Your Highness."

Shangguan Zeyu stood at the door for a short while, and after the candlelight dimmed, he slowly walked towards the soft couch under the window. Throughout his walk, he casually glanced around the room.

Jiang Yan took a red apple that had been washed during the day and walked towards him.

"Your Highness, have an apple. We've walked most of the way and it's so hot."

Shangguan Zeyu looked at the red apple in her right hand. It was quite large and had a good color, so it should be very sweet.

"You're so kind, Ruyi." He took it, placed it in his right palm, and playfully bounced it around.

Jiang Yan watched him toss the apples for a while, and then noticed that Huang Ying hadn't come in yet. She looked towards the door again and again in confusion.

Although Shangguan Zeyu didn't look at her, he knew what she was doing. Seeing her constantly looking towards the door, he squeezed the red apple that was in his palm and looked at her questioningly.

Jiang Yan was only focused on getting Huang Ying in quickly to get her out of the predicament, and she didn't care about anything else. So when Shangguan Zeyu had been looking at her for a long time and she still hadn't noticed, Shangguan Zeyu became slightly annoyed.

"What are you looking at?" He gripped her right hand tightly with his left.

Jiang Yan was distracted and startled when he was suddenly grabbed by him. She instinctively cried out, but after realizing that it was him who did it, she breathed a sigh of relief.

"Ruyi doesn't want to stay by my side?" Shangguan Zeyu's voice was calm, but it was very intimidating. Hearing it, people would unconsciously focus all their attention on him.

"Your Highness, no, I was just wondering why the maid hasn't brought the tea yet. Your Highness must be very thirsty, right? I'll go make some tea right away." With that, Jiang Yan forcefully pulled her right hand out of his palm and turned to leave.

But how could Shangguan Zeyu have sent her back just to have a cup of tea?

She already knew why he brought her back, didn't she?

Jiang Yan felt an unusually strong force suddenly pull her down from behind. After a dizzying experience, she was shocked to find herself straddling Shangguan Zeyu's legs. The humiliating and uncomfortable position made her immediately struggle in shame and indignation.