Both of them saw the same thought in each other's eyes, but right now, Li Shiyue looked down at the obvious black spots on her skirt, which was the second time she had gotten dirty today.

Fortunately, it was only the inner skirt that was dirty; the outer jacket wasn't ready yet. I'll go back and change into a ruqun (a type of traditional Chinese dress).

After saying goodbye to Xu Lingzi, she got up and walked out. Bai Shao, who was beside Princess Chunhui, glanced at Princess Chunhui and followed her out.

There were actually some gaps between the screens, and Princess Chunhui's unnatural expression was noticed by others.

The distance between Liufang Pavilion and Qingji Hall is not very close, especially since the banquet venue is located inside Liufang Pavilion, and you have to go through that long corridor to get out.

As she reached the bend in the corridor, Li Shiyue stopped, rubbing her fingers against the black spots on her skirt, her fingertips catching a faint smell of charcoal.

Before she could react, she heard hurried footsteps behind her. She turned around and was startled to see a maid in palace maid's clothes with her hands outstretched. They stared at each other.

The maid realized what was happening and stretched out her hands, making a gesture as if to push the person into the lake.

It was early winter, and the lake water was cold. A thin layer of ice had formed on the surface of the lake. If someone accidentally fell into the water at this time of year and couldn't swim, it would be difficult for them to survive.

Li Shiyue didn't bring anyone with her, leaving Chunling to Xu Lingzi to serve. She wasn't stupid; she quickly dodged to the side, just as the maid seemed ready to pounce again.

Li Shiyue was startled and turned to run back, but before she could take a step, she bumped into a wall of flesh. Before she could react, the person grabbed her arm and pulled her to a safe place behind her with a little force.

Before he could even react, he heard a deep voice beside him: "Chang'an, take him to the Jingzhao Prefecture. I want to see who has the audacity to try and kill the Xu family at Guanqing Garden."

“If they don’t confess, we will torture them until they do.”

Xu Yunci's expression was gloomy, and his phoenix eyes showed undisguised anger. He clenched his fists, but his body did not move an inch, protecting Li Shiyue tightly behind him.

Li Shiyue looked up and saw a tall figure that could completely block her view. Looking at the back of the man's head, Li Shiyue suddenly remembered that day at the inn in Shangjing County last year, and later at the Duke's Mansion, Xu Yunci had stood in front of her almost every time.

A soft spot suddenly appeared in Li Shiyue's heart. Her gaze passed over the young man in front of her and fell on the maid who had been knocked unconscious by Chang An's hand chop and taken away. With a series of smooth movements, she took the maid away.

It would be a lie to say she wasn't afraid. The moment he turned around, Li Shiyue's eyes welled up with tears, and almost without hesitation, she threw herself into Xu Yunci's arms.

She closed her eyes and sobbed softly, "Someone wants to kill me, doesn't they?"

As soon as he finished speaking, Xu Yunci's hands trembled in panic. Before he could even put them down, Li Shiyue had already crawled out of his arms and was wiping away her tears with her fingertips.

Her tone paused, losing some of the sharp edge she had displayed earlier; her eyes were red, and the fear in them had not yet dissipated.

No one could have imagined that someone would harbor murderous intent towards Xu Yunci on her own turf. If she had reacted any slower, would she already be falling into the lake? Thinking further, a cold glint seemed to gather in Xu Yunci's eyes.

He could still feel her lingering scent in his arms. Xu Yunci saw the black spots on her skirt and tried his best to make his tone as gentle as possible.

After all, Li Shiyue in front of him was frightened, her eyes were red, and the tip of her nose was also red, just like a little rabbit, looking like she was at someone's mercy.

For the first time, Xu Yunci realized how difficult it was to be a gentleman. Before he could even react, his little cousin had hugged him and then slipped away.

"I'll take you back to Qingji Hall first; your skirt is dirty. As for this matter, don't make a fuss about it yet. That person is from the palace; I'll get an explanation for you."

Xu Yunci's voice was as deep as ever, and a gloomy look appeared in his eyes. If he was not mistaken, the maid was someone from Princess Chunhui's side.

The princess of the country regarded human life as worthless. This time, he was not willing to let it go. He also wanted the emperor to know what his most beloved concubine was like and what the Fu family, whom he trusted, had done.

With an idea in mind, Xu Yunci thought about what to do after the banquet.

As he watched Li Shiyue enter Qingji Hall, his expression instantly changed from gentle to cold, a completely different person. If anyone had seen it, it would have been quite astonishing.

Xu Yunci left Lian Dong behind, and instructed her with concern, "Take the young lady with you wherever you go. I'll have some more people serve Grandmother here."

After saying that, Xu Yunci turned around and walked back, stopping at the bushes he had just passed.

There was a slight rustling sound of clothes behind the bushes. Xu Yunci didn't speak, but stared in the direction of the bushes until the person behind them sighed and came out.

Holding a hand warmer in her hands, Fu Yunning's eyes were red. She looked past the man she had been thinking of day and night and gazed in the direction of Qingji Hall. She saw him all too clearly.

If only Xu Yunci had protected her like this when Princess Chunhui mocked her. No one knew that Fu Yunning harbored feelings for Xu Yunci.

Xu Yunci's gaze was deep and unfriendly, as if asking, "How did you end up here?"

"I knew you would come back to me. Don't I know you very well?"

Fu Yunning's voice was soft, so soft it seemed to drift away on the wind. The wounded look on his face might have evoked pity in anyone else, but he was Xu Yunci.

As expected, Fu Yunning lowered her eyes with a cold expression, her long eyelashes obscuring the gloom in them, yet making it impossible to discern anything unusual.

Xu Yunci hadn't expected that Fu Yunning would be the one following them all along. Thinking of the maids dressed in palace attire earlier, she naturally didn't have a friendly attitude towards the people from Pixiang Palace.

So Fu Yuning finally had the misfortune of seeing not his indifferent expression, but obvious disgust. Fu Yuning was startled, then lowered her head and laughed, but the pangs of pain in her heart were so unbearable.

The moment she turned around, the smile on her face vanished completely. She had initially regretted her actions, but now she was glad that her silly princess cousin was by her side, a pawn she had arranged. This move was not a mistake.

After changing her clothes, Li Shiyue came out of Qingji Hall with Lian Dong and asked, "How is Grandmother?"

Lian Dong replied, "After breakfast, the old lady rested on the warm couch, accompanied by Granny Chang. Lian Chun and I made the flower cakes that Miss had made earlier. The old lady ate two pieces, drank some tea, and then went to sleep."

"When I came out, she was already better, and the old lady's headache was not as bad as it was this morning."

Li Shiyue breathed a sigh of relief and was about to speak when she looked up and saw a figure standing in the corridor.