Peach Moon and Apricot Moon also came along. Apricot Moon was inside the house at the moment. Her eyes were like almonds, darting around and revealing a cleverness.

Xu Lingzi had just left when she opened the window and looked around, then opened the door to peek in before closing it again. She took out the things she had prepared in advance from the wardrobe: "Please, Miss, make do with these."

On the tray was a veil. After putting it on, Li Shiyue realized that the veil had been specially modified to cover her calves.

The curtains were drawn, completely concealing her face and figure. Stepping out of the room, Tao Yue was already waiting for a while, leading her to a small boat on the side. She hadn't even remembered the route after getting into the carriage.

The carriage wasn't particularly spacious; it was just an ordinary horse-drawn carriage. However, the seats were very comfortable, and through the white curtains in front of her, she could vaguely see Xu Yunci resting with his eyes closed.

When Xu Yunci opened her eyes, she saw her lift the curtain, revealing a beautiful face with slightly flushed cheeks. It was probably the young girl's first time doing something so secretive, and she was nervous.

The carriage departed from the side gate of "Guanqing Xiaoyuan", circled the long street, turned left and right, and stopped in front of a restaurant.

Li Shiyue got off the carriage and noticed that Xu Yunci was also wearing a veil and a narrow-sleeved robe that she had never seen before, which made his figure look even more upright.

The curtains only reached his waistband, and the two made their way to a private room on the second floor. As they entered, they caught a strong aroma of wine, and Li Shiyue instinctively took a half step back, not wanting to go any further.

Xu Yunci removed his veil and noticed her movement. He looked at Qin Ying, who was sitting on a round stool, with displeasure in his eyes. He held a wine glass in his hand, took a sip, and said, "Here you are."

Qin Ying had just put down his wine cup when the servant behind him refilled it. The rich aroma of the wine was irresistible, and the lingering taste on his tongue was even more delightful. His gaze passed over Xu Yunci, wanting to see the face beneath the veil.

Xu Yunci didn't move an inch, his eyes as cold as the wind and snow of the coldest winter.

Qin Ying chuckled and waved his hand, and the servant removed the wine pot from the table. He placed his hands on the table, staring at Xu Yunci with a half-smile, his eyes revealing no trace of malice: "Young Master Xu is here too. I was so worried about him."

His hands were resting on the edge of the table. Only when Li Shiyue lifted the veil did she see the faint scars on the back of his hands.

Qin Ying noticed her gaze and looked at her face with a moment of greed, but when she looked away, he felt as if his heart had been slashed open with a knife.

Li Shiyue reached out and tugged at Xu Yunci's sleeve. She took a half step forward and stood beside Xu Yunci. She didn't even look at Qin Ying's expression, refusing to spare him a glance, or even look at him at all.

"Your Highness wouldn't deny what you've done, would you? I'm just an unmarried woman, powerless to even kill a chicken. My cousin came along out of concern. Surely Your Highness can't even do this much?"

"Besides, it's against the rules for Your Highness, an outsider, to request a meeting with me. My cousin came along because he wanted to hear what Your Highness really had to say, and why did you insist on my personal presence?"

Xu Yunci, unusually good-tempered, stood beside Li Shiyue, seemingly ready to support her.

"I have some questions for Your Highness today. My father's matter is related to Your Highness."

Qin Ying chuckled upon hearing this: "I said yes, what are you going to do?"

Li Shiyue smiled slightly, gazing at Qin Ying's face, not missing the emotions in his eyes: "Then you have it. But I'm curious, why would Your Highness go to such lengths for a mere county princess in name only?

“Everyone lives for a purpose. Your Highness has kept your thoughts hidden for so many years. If it weren’t for that day, no one would have known that Your Highness had such ambitions to achieve great things. But how to get Your Highness to reveal your thoughts after all these years is something I haven’t figured out.”

"Your Majesty, I am not talented, but I understand reality. Although my father is a marquis, the Yunyang Marquisate probably does not have what Your Highness desires. Instead of dragging my father into this mess, Your Highness should speak frankly."

Her tone was calm, and the smile on her face was as if she were looking at a stranger. It was a polite smile instilled from childhood, not one that made people feel warm and friendly.

Qin Ying chuckled upon hearing this. He leaned back, propped his leg up on a stool, and looked directly at Li Shiyue with barely concealed greed and ruthlessness on his face.

To his great disappointment, Li Shiyue did not look away, but instead greeted him generously, treating him as if he were nothing.

"For you, I said I would marry you as the Princess Consort of Yan."

"Since the Crown Prince already knows about the Huayuan County incident, why not use this opportunity to drag the Earl of Yunyang into it? If you want to save your father, then marry me. Since I can drag him down, I naturally have a way to bring him up."

"The prison in the capital is no good place. If you can bear to see your father suffer, I can give you some time to reconsider."

Li Shiyue chuckled, and Xu Yunci, who was standing beside her, swallowed back the words he was about to say when he heard her soft laugh mixed with sarcasm.

Li Shiyue placed her hands in front of her, her face calm: "Your Highness is plotting something big, it's all about the position of Chonghua Palace. I am just a county princess in name only, I have no noble family in the previous dynasty behind me, why are you targeting me?"

Qin Ying stood up: "No, you are not just a county princess in name only. In Father Emperor's heart, you are more important than his own daughter."

In all his years, he had witnessed firsthand how favored Consort Gui and her daughter were in the Pixiang Palace. It is no exaggeration to say that before Li Shiyue appeared, even if Princess Chunhui wanted the stars in the sky, the Emperor would have had to find a way to pluck them down.

But now the emperor has punished his own princess for the sake of a noblewoman's daughter, and has even bestowed the title of county princess upon Li Shiyue. There were even previous rumors that he would adopt her as his goddaughter and bestow the title of princess upon her.

How could Qin Ying not be tempted? This was the person he had discovered was more important to the Emperor than the Hall of Fragrant Breeze. Marrying such a person, how could he worry about the woman not having a chance to gain favor with the Emperor?

He believed that given the opportunity, he would be no worse than the Crown Prince, and might even do better.

Qin Ying smiled knowingly as he looked at Xu Yunci: "Your Highness doesn't think that the young master Xu beside you can help you, does she? If he could, you wouldn't be standing here."

"Promise me, you will be the Princess Consort of Yan, the principal wife of a first-rank prince. Once I succeed, you and I will be the most honored people in the world. For your sake, I will not hold the Xu family accountable."

"When you first came to the capital, you were just a cousin of the Duke of Rongguo. Everyone who talks about it feels sorry for your status. Promise me that such a thing will never happen again."