But young girls are naive, and seeing Xu Lingyu's words so favorable to Li Shiyue, she almost instinctively looked for that person.

She looked around and finally spotted him beside the Duchess of Rongguo. Her face flushed. She had no desire to marry into Chonghua Palace as a concubine. The Duke of Rongguo's mansion, which was clearly connected to Chonghua Palace, already had someone she liked.

If she were to marry, she would become the Duchess of Rongguo, the principal wife, a position of immense prestige. Even the most favored concubines in the palace, no matter how noble, would still be inferior to the Crown Princess, just like Consort Fu.

Li Shiyue noticed her shallow thoughts and seemed to have figured out the reason for Feng Lanyin's attitude earlier. Out of the corner of her eye, she glanced at Xu Yunci, who stood beside Yang Shi with his hands behind his back, ignoring Feng Lanyin's gaze and staring directly at her.

Perhaps it wasn't because she was looking at her, but Li Shiyue felt her earlobes getting hot.

How come this person can "plant flowers" everywhere?

The banquet was held in the small garden in the front yard, in the form of a covered walkway, especially with the bright sun hanging high in the blue sky and the cool breeze blowing across the lake.

The banquet was still a while away, and Li Shiyue couldn't sit still any longer. She tugged at Yang's sleeve and said, "Aunt, I want to go find my cousin."

"Go on, and have someone follow you closely." Madam Yang didn't want to keep her confined, so she carefully instructed Chunling before letting her leave.

The environment of the Minister's residence was very different from that of the Duke's residence. Just a moment ago, Li Shiyue was thinking about how to get there, but a moment later she couldn't remember it at all.

"Go sit down at the front for a while."

Li Shiyue gave up on the idea of ​​going any further. The long, winding corridor was too dazzling to look at, and she figured she would really get lost in the Feng family if she went any further.

But as soon as she walked over, she regretted making that decision. Clearly, the people in the pavilion had also noticed her. Li Shiyue stopped in the corridor, feeling that the scene looked strangely familiar.

Qin Ying stood with his hands behind his back in the pavilion, calmly watching Li Shiyue. He had clearly seen Li Shiyue long ago.

The moment Li Shiyue saw him, she instinctively flinched, her eyes and face revealing undisguised hurt. But Li Shiyue remained unmoved, stopping in her tracks, refusing to approach. She even cursed inwardly the damned corridors of the Minister's residence, so uneven and obscuring the people in the pavilion.

May the Prince of Yan live a thousand years and be well.

Qin Ying stood in the pavilion. Li Shiyue hadn't made a move these past few days, which was really beyond his expectations, especially since the Earl of Yunyang was still in the Jingzhao Prefecture prison.

"May Your Highness be well. It has been many days since I last saw you, Your Highness, and your beauty remains unchanged."

A gentle breeze rippled across the calm lake, stirring her dress. A slight smile played on her lips, but her eyes betrayed no genuine joy; they held the characteristic aloof politeness she always displayed.

Qin Ying suppressed his resentment, but when he saw Li Shiyue's face, he suddenly realized the truth: even without the Earl of Yunyang and his own ambition, Li Shiyue's face was enough to make a young man's heart flutter.

"Does the county princess, living such a comfortable life, have forgotten about the Earl of Yunyang, who is imprisoned in the Jingzhao Prefecture? Even if there were disagreements between father and daughter, does the county princess really have the heart to see her father suffer in prison?"

Li Shiyue's voice was as calm as a still lake, like a gentle breeze: "Your Highness is a gentleman, and I will not take these words seriously."

There's no need to say anything; if her cousin says he trusts her, she will trust him.

Besides, this matter will make Father suffer a bit and realize the situation clearly. The prosperity of the capital city is not so easy to stay in. It would be better to return to Yunzhong County sooner rather than later.

After all, she was surnamed Li, and she wanted the Li family to prosper, but her father's personality was simply not suited to the cutthroat world of officialdom. She couldn't keep relying on the Xu family's influence and expecting them to take care of her, only to have someone else clean up the mess in the end.

That would be taking advantage of someone's kindness and becoming arrogant; she can't do that.

Her answer was expected. If she truly had the answer Qin Ying wanted, she would have sought him out long ago, instead of the situation she was in today.

Qin Ying looked at Li Shiyue meaningfully: "The county princess truly trusts Prince Xu. It seems that in the county princess's heart, no one can compare to Prince Xu."

Li Shiyue smiled, seemingly oblivious to the hidden meaning in Qin Ying's words: "My cousin treats me like family, and I trust everyone, no matter who they are."

"Is that so?"

Qin Ying raised an eyebrow, clearly not taking Li Shiyue's words to heart.

"However, Prince Xu is truly an outstanding individual. First, he had the ability to make my younger sister, Princess Chunhui, devote herself to him wholeheartedly, and then there is the third daughter of the Feng family. It seems that the county princess's path in the Xu family will not be easy."

"I heard that when Madam Li was alive, she arranged a marriage between the Rongguo Duke's Mansion and the Yunyang Earl's Mansion. The Earl's Mansion is the county princess. I wonder which young master is from the Rongguo Duke's Mansion?"

"Old Madam Xu loves you so much, she wouldn't mind giving up the entire Xu family. How could she not allow the county princess to take the position of the heir's wife?"

"If it cannot be allowed, wouldn't all that affection be too superficial?"

The gloom and smugness in Qin Ying's eyes were easily missed if one wasn't paying close attention. He stood with his hands behind his back, unable to hide his smile, but his words carried a provocative tone.

He probably thought that Li Shiyue, an unmarried young woman, was easy to seduce.

If Li Shiyue, having been reborn, couldn't even understand these words, then she would have wasted her ears. Seeing that her expression remained unchanged, Qin Ying felt he should add fuel to the fire.

"Father has always doted on Chunhui. It's unprecedented for him to punish Chunhui for the sake of the county princess. There are many people in the capital who are in love with Xu Yunci, even more who want to become the wife of the heir of the Rongguo Duke's mansion, and countless others who want to climb up to the powerful and influential of the Duke's mansion."

"At that time, I'm afraid that with Old Madam Xu's favor, the county princess might not be able to gain a foothold in the Xu family. However, if someone helps her, it will be a different story."

"Being near the water tower, one gets the moon first. The county princess is now living in the Xu family and spending every day with Xu Yunci. This is a privilege that no one else can enjoy. Even the attitude of Miss Feng just now was something only the county princess could tolerate."

"If she becomes the Crown Prince's wife in the future, everyone will have to treat her with utmost respect, after all, she is the Crown Prince's sister-in-law."

Li Shiyue breathed a sigh of relief. Qin Ying had said a lot, but she only remembered one thing: "a lot of nonsense."

"If Your Highness has nothing else to say, I will not disturb you any longer."

Li Shiyue walked quickly, having learned from her experience. Her feet moved swiftly, giving Qin Ying no time to think, and she led Chunling back the way they came.

It's really a headache. In the future, she would rather stay by Yang's side and listen to the ladies gossiping than come out for some fresh air again.

It's not worth letting yourself breathe, let yourself breathe. All that stuffiness and resentment is just not worth it.