Rong Yin grew a little angry. "Hongyan, I just warned you, are you going to do something reckless?"

Hongyan shook her head vigorously and hurriedly explained, "Sister Rongyin, it's not what you think."

"Then what else do you want to say about Miss?" Rongyin asked.

Hongyan was getting a little angry too. Why was this woman so clueless?

She smiled, forcibly suppressing her anger, and said, "Sister Rongyin, you see, you've misunderstood me. I only said it for Miss's sake."

"You're being so kind? Tell me, what is it?"

Rongyin's suspicious look made Hongyan grit her teeth. She smiled and said, "Miss and Young Master Jiang from the West Wing are in love. Miss probably hasn't had a chance to tell you about this yet. Just now I saw Young Master Jiang lingering outside the courtyard. He probably wants to see Miss. You should go and see him."

"Miss and Young Master Jiang are in love?" Rong Yin frowned. "Hongyan, you can't just say things like that."

"Sister Rongyin, I'm only telling you this at the risk of being punished by Miss," Hongyan said, feigning pitifulness.

Rongyin glanced outside, then looked at her again. "Alright then, I'll go out and take a look."

"Sister Rongyin, please don't say that I told you, or I'll be in big trouble." Hongyan cried.

Rong Yin frowned slightly, did not agree to her, and walked out.

Hongyan watched her retreating figure and laughed.

Rongyin is so soft-hearted, she will definitely help her keep it a secret.

Rongyin walked outside the courtyard and, sure enough, saw Jiang Sheng lingering outside.

She asked, "What is Young Master Jiang doing here?"

Jiang Sheng was overjoyed to see her and hurried over, bowing to her. "Miss Rongyin, it's so good to see you."

"What exactly do you want?" Rong Yin asked, frowning.

“Yes…” Jiang Sheng wanted to say it, but there were too many people around, and he was really afraid of damaging the young lady’s reputation.

"Speak quickly if you have something to say, or I'm leaving." Rong Yin really turned around and was about to leave.

Jiang Sheng quickly grabbed her sleeve, "Miss Rongyin, please don't be anxious. I can't say it here. How about this, Miss Rongyin, please come with me to the west wing, and I will tell you then."

"There are only two men in the west wing right now, you and Young Master Du, so please excuse me for not going there."

Jiang Sheng paced anxiously, when suddenly an idea struck him. "I've got it! Miss Rongyin, please wait here for a moment. I'll be right there, right away!"

After saying that, Jiang Sheng lifted her clothes and ran towards the west wing.

Rongyin watched his retreating figure, her brows furrowing slightly. "Could it be that he really is with Miss?"

A moment later, Jiang Sheng returned and handed her a note with both hands. "Miss Rongyin, please give this note to Miss Rongyin. I would be very grateful."

“You…” Rong Yin’s expression was full of struggle.

"Miss?" Jiang Sheng understood what she was trying to say.

"It's alright, I'll report this note to Miss and give it to her," Rongyin said.

"Thank you, Miss Rongyin." Jiang Sheng bowed again.

"No need for thanks, I did it for my young lady." Rongyin turned and went inside.

Jiang Sheng delivered the letter, but instead of feeling relieved, she was quite anxious.

This was not a place for him to linger, so Jiang Sheng returned to the west wing.

...

In the afternoon, Huang Ningmeng came out of the bamboo forest and ran into Du Chenyan.

As soon as Du Chenyan appeared, his gaze fell on her hands, his eyes filled with undisguised heartache.

Huang Ningmeng pulled up her sleeve to cover the gauze and asked, "How long have you been here?"

"I've been following you since this morning," Du Chenyan said without any attempt to hide his true feelings.

“Your eyes are red and you don’t look well. You must not have slept well last night. And you’ve been following me around this morning… Du Chenyan, you have something on your mind, and it’s about me.” Huang Ningmeng walked to the side, turned her head to look at him, and said with certainty.

She analyzed his thoughts in just a few words, and even though Du Chenyan considered himself intelligent, he had to admire her.

“Miss Huang is incredibly intelligent; she has seen through all of Shen Yan’s little secrets.”

Huang Ningmeng raised her hand to stop him, but halfway up, she remembered something and put it down again. "I only guessed a little bit, I didn't say it all outright."

"Can I see your hand?" Du Chenyan was still concerned about her injury.

Huang Ningmeng's lips twitched, and she tugged at her sleeve. She was the one who hit someone, but the other person was fine while she ended up with an injured hand. How embarrassing.

"No need. It's not a serious injury. The ointment from my Prime Minister's residence is always very effective. It will be fine after today."

Du Chenyan glanced at her again, still worried, thinking she was afraid of ruining her reputation, so he didn't press the matter further. "Alright then. Miss Huang, although this is a matter for the household, I still want to remind you to be careful of a maid."

"Maid." Huang Ningmeng paused for a moment, recalling what happened last night. Du Chenyan must already know.

"Yes, it's a maid, not the one next to you." Du Chenyan emphasized. He knew that the maid next to him was named Rong Yin, but he really didn't know the name of that little girl.

"I know," Huang Ningmeng said calmly, lowering her head to crush the ants.

"Know?" Du Chenyan was a little confused, unsure of which item she meant by "know".

“I know everything that girl did, including last night.” Huang Ningmeng looked at him, her eyes full of meaning.

"You...you knew about them last night? Then you...?" Du Chenyan's heart was pounding in her throat. She knew about this? Did that mean she would never like Jiang Sheng again? Was she disappointed in him?

Huang Ningmeng laughed and said, "I never said I liked Jiang Sheng."

"Then you?" Du Chenyan clearly remembered how happy Jiang Sheng was when she told him about their time together. There was no doubt that Jiang Sheng liked him.

Huang Ningmeng said, "At first I thought Jiang Sheng was an old friend of mine, but later I found out that I was wrong. I have never had any feelings for him."

"An old friend?" Du Chenyan frowned, instinctively feeling that this 'old friend' was his greatest 'enemy'.

Huang Ningmeng looked at him and smiled, "Yes, an old friend."

"Who is that old friend of yours?" Du Chenyan asked.

Huang Ningmeng lifted her foot to leave, but paused when she reached his side. "It's not the right time yet. I'll tell you when the time is right."

"Okay, you said it yourself," Du Chenyan said hastily. However, after saying that, he paused for a moment. Why did that sentence sound so familiar?

Huang Ningmeng smiled and said, "I said it."

After speaking, Huang Ningmeng walked forward.

Du Chenyan watched her retreating figure, feeling a mix of disappointment and a sliver of hope.

Huang Ningmeng returned to Yuanjue Temple and went back to the small courtyard.

Playing chess with the abbot was enjoyable, but chess is a mentally taxing activity. Plus, she hadn't had lunch yet. She was feeling quite tired, both physically and mentally.

Rongyin welcomed her in, brought the food into her room, and served her a meal.

After the meal, Rongyin struggled for a while before finally handing the note to Huang Ningmeng.