The thing that fell out of Langjun's sleeve landed at Li Shiyue's feet; it was a powdery substance wrapped in paper.

The movement was quite forceful, and the powder was sprinkled into the cracks of the stone steps underfoot, seemingly emitting a pungent fragrance.

Li Shiyue took two steps back with Chunling, but was protected in Xu Yunci's arms as he stepped forward.

When he arrived, he saw that the young man's face clearly said "scheming against him." In his haste, he could only kick the man away without even seeing who he was.

Xu Yunci had also drunk quite a bit of wine today, and his face was flushed. The two of them could even feel his heartbeat pounding as they pressed their bodies together, and the aroma of wine filled their noses.

Xu Yunci's skin was considered fair among the young men, and at this moment, her neck and cheeks were slightly flushed, and her anxiety was undisguised.

"I'm fine, you came just in time."

Li Shiyue was a head shorter than him, and he held her in his arms, his warm breath wafting over her forehead.

Following his gaze, the young man was clutching his back and trying to stand up, suggesting that Xu Yunci hadn't held back his kick.

Suddenly, a pair of hands covered her eyes. Xu Yunci's broad palms completely obscured the figure of the young man.

Li Shiyue pursed her lips but did not dodge. The atmosphere around her quieted down, and no one spoke except for the sound of breathing in her ear. She felt very safe in Xu Yunci's arms.

"Young Master Xu..."

The young man recognized Xu Yunci, and coincidentally, Xu Yunci also recognized him. If he were to reveal his name, Li Shiyue would likely recognize him as well.

Guo Xun's cousin, Guo Cheng, was the most idle person in the Guo family.

Xu Yunci looked at the paper packet at his feet, the powder protruding from it. He had seen this stuff many times in the Jingzhao Prefecture.

"Does your cousin know where you're from?"

Xu Yunci's voice sounded rather unfriendly, even a bit serious.

Guo Cheng touched his back. He was no longer drunk, but his face was flushed, and he stared blankly at Xu Yunci.

Judging from the unfriendly tone in his voice, Guo Cheng knew that the relationship between Xu Yunci and Guo Xun was not just a simple marriage between the two families, but more of a mutual appreciation between them. In particular, Xu Yunci often visited the Guo residence, so how could Guo Cheng not recognize him?

Moreover, Xu Yunci was an extremely powerful figure in the capital. Many of his cronies took Xu Yunci as their role model, and many of them were troubled by comparing themselves to Xu Yunci at home.

Guo Cheng swallowed hard, looking at Li Shiyue whom Xu Yunci was protecting in his arms, and couldn't help but regret what he had just done.

"This is just a regular sleeping potion. Someone gave it to me. I've never used it before, really never. This is the first time..."

Guo Cheng originally wanted to act like a coward, but Xu Yunci's gaze was really frightening, especially since his little heart simply couldn't take it.

"After the banquet, you can go and talk to your cousin yourself."

Xu Yunci suppressed his anger and grasped Li Shiyue's hand that was tugging at his sleeve. He understood that today was his nephew's 100-day celebration, and he, as his uncle, couldn't ruin it.

This was the first time Li Shiyue had met Guo Xun's cousin. When people in the capital talked about how good Guo Xun, the Minister of the Court of Judicial Review, was, they all scoffed when they talked about his cousin.

It was for no other reason than that Guo Cheng was illiterate and spent his days either playing with birds or hanging out with his cronies.

Everything he used was reserved for Guo Xunxian in the household; only when Guo Xunxian no longer needed it would it come to him.

Aunt Guo used to farm alone in the countryside. It was already quite difficult for her to support Guo Xun's education, so she naturally didn't have the energy to send Guo Cheng to a school as well. Besides, Guo Xun was already a bright child in their village who could speak eloquently at a young age.

Guo Cheng was not taken care of by his family from a young age. In his childhood, he only learned a few characters from Guo Xun. After Guo Xun left his hometown, he could only follow Guo's second aunt to work in the fields. He would never learn to read or study.

Therefore, Guo Xun felt a great deal of guilt towards his cousin. Even if his second aunt refused to give him something, Guo Xun would find a way to make it happen for him.

Guo Cheng stood there, watching Xu Yunci and Li Shiyue leave, their bodies embracing each other affectionately.

Although Guo Cheng was drunk, he still remembered what he had just done. He swore that this was the first time he had ever done something like this, and he was so regretful that he felt like vomiting.

Thinking this through, three crisp slaps rang out, and his cheeks instantly became red and swollen with handprints.

He deserves to die. Prince Xu and his cousin are such good friends, yet he dared to flirt with the other man's wife. It's no wonder that kick hurts so much.

They found a quiet place to stop. Li Shiyue struggled to get up from Xu Yunci's embrace, but Xu Yunci pressed her back down with both hands.

"I was terrified."

Xu Yunci wrapped his arms around her waist, rested his chin on her shoulder, and his voice sounded muffled.

"It's okay, I'm really okay, you came just in time."

Li Shiyue patted him with a smile. It felt like Xu Yunci was the one being bullied. She wasn't upset, but Xu Yunci was the one who felt wronged on her behalf.

Xu Yunci's warm breath was right next to her ear, his voice muffled, and Li Shiyue could clearly feel his sadness.

"How could you be alright? It's just like that time in Shangjing County, when you cried and ran into my arms. Just now you were clearly scared and backed away, but luckily I came."

His voice paused slightly, and Li Shiyue's hand patting his shoulder also stopped at the same time, as if she did not expect Xu Yunci to still remember the day when the two first met, at the inn in Shangjing County.

Back then, Meng Zhuo was chasing after her relentlessly; the man who appeared to rescue her was the man before her, who is now her husband.

Perhaps fate has many wonders, but Li Shiyue felt fortunate.

Hearing Xu Yunci speak of it, it was as if the memories sealed in her heart had suddenly been unlocked. The two seemed to be getting closer, and even now, their hearts were touching, and their heartbeats were gradually becoming in sync.

Li Shiyue couldn't help but smile, raising her head to look at Xu Yunci's face, and reaching out to cup his cheeks with her hands.

At first glance, the man's phoenix eyes held a calm distance and politeness, but now, those same eyes of his are filled with love and tenderness, blooming only for her.

"Fool, I'm fine. You've come at just the right time."

Li Shiyue sniffed, as if Xu Yunci always appeared at the most timely moment whenever she encountered something gloomy.

And she could now clearly hear the voice in her heart. She thought that if Xu Yunci hadn't come first, if it had been someone else, she wouldn't be where she is today, and she wouldn't be married.

But Xu Yunci was different; he always found a guiding light for her in the darkness, and she was now completely dependent on that light.