Recognized by Hongzhou, Xueying leaned awkwardly against Hongli, bowing slightly in greeting. Her maidservant followed suit.

"Xueying greets Fourth Prince and Fifth Prince~" Xueying was still shaken from the shock, her voice trembling, her face flushed, making her incredibly adorable. Hongzhou immediately took Xueying's hand to check: "Let me see if you burned yourself." Xueying shyly pulled her hand away, glanced at Hongli, and smiled in response: "It's alright, it's alright." How could Hongzhou be at ease? He asked her all sorts of questions. Xueying answered verbally, but her eyes couldn't help glancing at Hongli. At that moment, she so wished it was Hongli who cared about her.

"Xueying, why didn't you stay properly with the Fujin? Why did you run here? It's so dangerous for a young lady like you!" Hongli said.

Hope immediately ignited in Xueying's eyes. So Hongli did care about me! All the hard work before was indeed worth it. The maid beside Xueying quickly replied, "Gege was worried when she learned that the two princes had come to Shijiazhuang to observe the people's conditions, so she rode along."

Xueying shyly lowered her head, "I was afraid my brother would blame me, so I only dared to follow closely the whole way." She knew her move was a bit risky, but only by taking risks could she possibly win. Since Hongli had clearly fallen for her and accepted the sachet, she had no reason not to try her best.

"Xueying, so you were worried about me! Us!" Hongzhou looked at Xueying happily; Xueying was beautiful no matter what.

Hongli sighed, "Does the Fujin know you've come all this way? What if something happens to her? How are we supposed to explain this to her? You don't trust us? You'd be lucky if you took good care of yourself!"

Hongli couldn't help but begin to suspect that Xueying's sudden appearance here might have ulterior motives. After all, she was the daughter of the Ulanara clan, and he had to be wary of her!

It turned out that Xueying, having learned that Hongli and Hongzhou had gone out, secretly followed them with her entourage and stayed at the inn opposite their post station. She thought that only by meeting Hongli could she have a chance to make him acknowledge his feelings for her, and then she would still have a chance. Her father told her to use every means she could think of to get close to Hongli, win his favor, and then marry him.

With this belief, Xueying disguised herself as a man and followed Hongli and Hongzhou's carriage with her maid.

That night, after Hongzhou had rested, Hongli quietly went to the inn where Xueying was staying.

Xueying was overjoyed to see Hongli secretly come to visit her. She sent A'luo out to guard the door while she spoke with Hongli alone. A'luo knew exactly what was going on and made sure to close the door properly before leaving, keeping a close watch at the entrance.

Xueying, dressed in women's clothing, wore a long, blue, floor-length gown with a wide hem embroidered with pink flowers, and a delicate purple silk ribbon tied at her waist. Her jet-black hair was simply styled in a bun and tied with a pale purple ribbon, with a few strands falling over her shoulders, making her fair skin appear even more rosy. Her face was unadorned, yet she was fresh and captivating, though her love was unrequited.

"Brother Hongli, I know you have feelings for me, but you just won't admit it, which is why you're secretly coming to see Xueying now!" Xueying looked directly into Hongli's eyes and excitedly blurted out everything she was thinking.

She no longer wanted to hide her love for Hongli; on the contrary, she wanted to express it, even if it meant snatching him away.

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