Xu Yunci spoke, her anger even more pronounced. Xie Yizhi responded with silence, offering no explanation, his eyes lowered—a stance that could almost be described as tacit agreement.

Disappointment gradually appeared in Xu Yunci's eyes. As always, she protected Li Shiyue behind her and looked at Xie Yizhi: "The Xie family should have sent a letter by now. You can leave the Duke's Mansion. As for Grandmother, I won't say what you did. I don't want to upset her."

After saying that, he turned around and tried to leave with Li Shiyue. But the next moment, Xie Yizhi refused to give up and took a big step to stand in front of Li Shiyue.

"What are you trying to do? The Duke's mansion has never mistreated you, but after you came to the capital, you contacted the Prince of Yan and the Prince of Zhao and got involved in the matter of the Crown Prince."

Xu Yunci's voice, like a muffled thunderclap, broke the eerie silence. He had initially found it unbelievable when he discovered these things, but the day before he went to the tea house, he personally witnessed Xie Yizhi's close interactions with the Prince of Yan and the Prince of Zhao. To be precise, he was familiar with the Prince of Zhao and seemed to have a cooperative relationship with the Prince of Yan.

It's obvious to everyone that the Prince of Yan is vying for the position of Crown Prince. So what about the Prince of Zhao? Xie Yizhi is caught in the middle between the two, but what about the Xie family, and what is Xie Yizhi's own attitude?

Xu Yunci couldn't afford to gamble; he couldn't risk the entire Rongguo Duke's mansion. Fortunately, Xie Yizhi hadn't yet used the Rongguo Duke's name to do anything, so he hadn't caused any harm to the Xu family.

Xie Yizhi seemed not to hear Xu Yunci's words, staring at Li Shiyue's face: "Yan Yan, I'm serious. If you're willing, I'll have my brother go to the capital to ask for your hand in marriage after we go back."

Li Shiyue remained silent, and Xie Yizhi's expression gradually turned to disappointment. At first, he only knew her from rumors of her being a cousin of the Duke of Rongguo's family, but when he saw her, she was the most beautiful young lady he had ever seen.

Unfortunately, her gaze seemed to always follow someone else, never him. The Li Shiyue he heard about from the Prince of Yan was quite different from the one he knew. Whenever he saw her, either Xu Yunci and his other young masters were there, or people from the Rongguo Duke's mansion were present, so he could only watch her secretly.

She was a quiet person, but when she opened her mouth, she could make Old Madam Xu laugh heartily and make everyone feel happy. Unconsciously, he paid attention to everything about Li Shiyue.

“She is engaged, and Grandmother will not agree to her marrying far away.” Xu Yunci’s voice carried an air of unyielding authority, and the suppressed anger in her eyes was quickly concealed.

Distracted from his thoughts, Xie Yizhi looked at Xu Yunci and curled his lips: "What does this have to do with you? What right does Prince Xu have to answer on behalf of Yan Yan?"

"I don't want to."

Li Shiyue stepped out from behind Xu Yunci. Even though Xu Yunci was unwilling, she still came out, raised her head without flinching, and looked at Xie Yizhi.

“Young Master Xie shouldn’t be so abrupt. My cousin and I have other matters to attend to, so we won’t keep you from packing your bags any longer.”

After saying that, she didn't look at Xie Yizhi's expression again, grabbed Xu Yunci's sleeve, walked past Xie Yizhi and left, ignoring the emotions surging in Xu Yunci's eyes behind her.

To get back to Chengyu Pavilion, one must pass through Shousong Hall. Looking at the courtyard gate in front, Li Shiyue let go of Xu Yunci's hand, without even glancing at his expression, and turned to leave.

"Yan Yan".

Xu Yunci was always aloof, but Li Shiyue could still hear the slight tremor in his voice at the end of those two simple words.

Li Shiyue stopped in her tracks without turning around. She clenched her hands tightly, her slender fingers gripping her palms so tightly that the veins beneath her fair skin were visible.

Turning around, she looked directly at Xu Yunci: "Does my cousin also want to ask me whether I will become your bride?"

Before Xu Yunci could answer, Li Shiyue's crimson lips moved slightly, and the corners of her eyes gradually reddened: "I haven't thought it through. I'm infatuated with my cousin's kindness to me, and it's hard for me to accept it with a clear conscience. Because I can't guarantee that I can reciprocate with the same kindness you've shown me."

"As for my identity, it is of no help to the Rongguo Duke's Mansion. I am the eldest daughter of the Yunyang Earl's Mansion, which is gradually declining, or perhaps just a county princess in name only. If I easily agree, and after a while you find that I am not the bride you want, what will you do?"

Li Shiyue couldn't understand the emotions in Xu Yunci's eyes, so she avoided the question. If Xu Yunci wanted an answer today, then she was sorry, she couldn't agree.

Moreover, she didn't want to ruin her life because of a moment of passion and have to follow the same path her mother had taken.

A sigh came from above. Xu Yunci walked to the spot in front of her, looked at her lowered head, and placed his hand on her head.

"Yan Yan, don't worry too much about yourself. Leave the rest to me."

Xu Yunci didn't say anything more. Seeing Li Shiyue's paused figure, he turned and left, heading straight for the main courtyard.

Li Shiyue watched his retreating figure with a complicated expression. She was truly terrified. What would be left for her if Xu Yunci was joking one day?

She dared not imagine that a subconscious avoidance would prevent it from happening.

The sun was shining brightly today, and Li Shiyue was quick-witted. Yang Shi had been feeling much more relaxed lately. When she saw her eldest son rushing in, she was surprised, but she didn't say anything.

"Why are you in such a hurry? What happened to make our young master so anxious?"

Yang's smile deepened. Beside her lay a stack of portraits of eligible young women from the capital.

Xu Yunci naturally saw the portraits, and her hands gradually clenched: "Mother, what are you doing?"

Madam Yang coughed lightly: "This is for Sanlang to choose a daughter for. I'm having someone prepare it and send it to your third aunt."

After saying that, he glanced at Xu Yunci out of the corner of his eye and sighed, "Let's not talk about Sanlang for now, let's talk about you first. You said that the selection of the Crown Prince's wife is not urgent and you have your own decision, but you are getting old this year. When do you want to get married?"

Seeing that he didn't speak, Yang wasn't in a hurry. She picked up her teacup and slowly took a sip. Just as she put it down, she met Xu Yunci's gaze.

"If the son asks, will his mother agree?"

Madam Yang understood her eldest son quite well. He had his own ideas since he was a child, and when he was young, he arranged everything himself. Although she was his mother, she didn't have to put in much effort.

Seeing Xu Yunci's solemn expression, Madam Yang gazed at Xu Yunci's face.

"Mother, do you still remember that the marriage agreement between Madam Li and Grandmother did not actually specify which young man from the Xu family it was?"

As soon as Xu Yunci finished speaking, Yang's expression changed noticeably, but he never regretted speaking up. When he first realized his feelings, his elder sister asked him if he was sincere, and he hesitated.

Later, as he gradually realized his true feelings and mustered the courage to express them, his little cousin was still hesitant. Now he clearly felt that his little cousin's hesitation stemmed from his attitude.

Judging from the current situation, if he waits any longer, it wouldn't be in line with his personality.