"Hey... Xueying, wait a minute..." Hongzhou watched Xueying leave crying, his heart filled with anxiety. He glared at Hongli and said angrily, "Fourth Brother, Xueying came to visit Consort Xi with good intentions. It's really too much for you to blame her without even knowing the facts..."

Hongli turned around and said, "I'm telling the truth. If you hadn't broken the rules, she wouldn't have come here to be scolded by me."

Hongzhou was furious. Knowing that Hongli was stubborn, he stomped his foot and said, "Why are you so inflexible? How can a young lady withstand your lectures? Now look what's happened, Xueying is crying... She's still yours, after all..."

"Enough..." Hongli snapped. "She will always be the Empress's niece, and even if she's engaged to me, that won't change that..."

Hongzhou could only sigh inwardly as he watched Hongli's retreating figure.

Xueying ran away from Yingzhou Hall alone and stood in the shadows for a long time. It took her a while to calm herself down, only to find that she was still wearing the servant's clothes.

Oh no, now it'll be difficult to even get back to Xinghua Chunguan!

Xueying looked around but didn't see Hongzhou. Thinking that Hongzhou probably hadn't left yet, she had no choice but to wait outside alone.

"Princess, please slow down. The place where Consort Xi rests is just ahead..." A female voice came from afar. Xueying hurriedly looked for a place to hide, but found that there was a corridor in front of her with no corners or large pillars. She was at a loss.

"I wonder if Consort Xi has woken up yet. Fortunately, her life is not in danger, which is already a great relief..."

Is it Mingyu?!

Although the voice was distant, Xueying knew immediately that it was Fucha Mingyu's, and she became even more flustered.

The maid helped Mingyu walk slowly. When they reached the corridor, Xueying had nowhere to hide, so she simply stood to the side with her head down.

The maid reminded Mingyu to watch her step, but neither of them noticed anything amiss. Because of Lanqin's assassination attempt, the Fourth Prince had specially arranged for many guards to stand around Yingzhou Hall, so it was not surprising that there was an extra person in the corridor; they simply assumed it was a guard.

The maidservant smiled and said, "The Fourth Prince knew that the Princess would be worried, so he specially arranged for the Princess to stay in Yingzhou Hall. Last night, as soon as Consort Xi was out of danger, she came to inform the Princess immediately, otherwise the Princess would have been worried sick..."

Mingyu said shyly, "He's the one who's suffering the most. Consort Xi is the most important person to the Fourth Prince. If anything were to happen to her, he definitely wouldn't be able to bear it..."

Xueying felt a slight bitterness in her heart, and she forced herself to remain silent, suppressing her grievances.

Unexpectedly, despite his efforts to visit Consort Xi, he was reprimanded by Emperor Hongli, and Fucha Mingyu even arranged for him to stay at Yingzhou Hall...

As Mingyu and her servant drew closer, their voices grew clearer.

"The Fourth Prince might be with the Empress right now. If you go over there now, you can have a chat with him..." the maid said to Mingyu.

Mingyu bit her lip and said softly, "I wonder if he's rested at all..."

Seeing Mingyu's shy demeanor, the maidservant smiled and said, "Your Highness is the Fourth Prince's greatest comfort. Whenever he sees you, all his worries vanish. If you continue to show concern for Consort Xi and soothe the Fourth Prince, his heart will surely be firmly locked in your hands..."

Mingyu was slightly annoyed. She glared at the maid and said, "Don't talk nonsense. I really care about Consort Xi, and I'm genuinely worried about him..."

Mingyu and her maid brushed past Xueying without noticing her presence, and the two left chatting and laughing.