At this point, Zheng Yu pointed into the distance—"Look over there, right there." Sure enough, in the direction Zheng Yu was pointing, there was a lush osmanthus tree.

He Yi looked over there, her heart pounding even faster, completely losing its rhythm.

Zheng Yu was deceiving Jin Kemu; he was sure to have a deadly move coming. Upon hearing this, He Yi secretly made a hand gesture to the back, and Liu Yun immediately understood, silently following behind with two guards.

Zheng Heyi was only a few dozen meters away from them and could clearly see Jin Keming holding a dagger to Zheng Yu's neck as the two headed towards the tree.

"Damn it, Zheng Yu, you better not lie to me!" Jin Keming spat. "If I don't manage to dig up any silver later, I'll take you and that little bitch Zheng Heyi down with me..."

Zheng Yu suddenly hissed, "Shut up! You dare touch a hair on her head?!" Jin Keming was caught off guard. "Hey, you're pretty protective of that little wench, aren't you? Could it be... you like your own sister?"

Oh no! This question came so unexpectedly.

[Jin Keming, are you a clear-headed sane person or a gossip maniac?]

It was as if the air had frozen instantly.

At this moment, Zheng Heyi had approached the two of them. Zheng Yu looked righteous and awe-inspiring, but at this moment, his dark eyes were churning with emotions that Heyi had never seen before.

Zheng Yu's eyes were filled with a calm light. Although his voice wasn't loud, it was very penetrating, carrying a resolute determination: "Yes, I like her."

Jin Keming was completely dumbfounded, and the dagger almost fell to the ground.

"You... Hahaha, but you two are siblings! You've completely disgraced the Minister's Mansion, Young Master Zheng! Ahahaha, hahaha." Zheng Yu curled his lips, a hint of mockery in his smile. "You think you can get money by holding me hostage? You think you can leave the capital alive when the Empress Dowager arrives and someone dies in the Princess's Mansion?!"

Seeing Zheng Yu's sudden change in tone, Jin Keming's tone also became much sharper, "If you give me the money today, everything will be fine. If you don't give me the money, I will fight you to the death. In the end, you, Young Master Zheng, will suffer more losses."

The words had barely faded when Zheng Yu suddenly flipped his wrist, slamming Jin Keming into the mud with lightning speed.

It turned out that Zheng Yu had deliberately talked nonsense to distract Jin Keming, and then used this opportunity to defeat him in one move while Jin Keming was lost in thought.

"Ah, Zheng Yu, you despicable scoundrel!" Jin Keming cried out in pain. The dagger in his hand clattered to the ground against a rock, and Zheng Yu kicked the weapon away.

Zheng Heyi saw all of this. Seeing Jin Keming groaning in pain and realizing he wouldn't get up anytime soon, Heyi gave the order—"Take him down!"

The guards rushed forward and immediately tied Jin Kemu up tightly with ropes.

[Incredible! The male lead's skills are amazing! He's got incredible boyfriend potential!]

[Jin Keming: Who am I? Where am I? I was killed so quickly? I came here to extort money.]

[Hey, look! Your brother is so handsome!]

Zheng Yu smiled leisurely, stood up, patted the dust off his clothes, and slowly walked to He Yi. "Are you alright?" Zheng Yu hadn't noticed He Yi and the others' arrival.

He Yi's cheeks were slightly pale: "Brother, I'm fine." Zheng Yu's forehead was covered with fine beads of sweat. At this moment, He Yi was uneasy. She opened her mouth, as if she wanted to ask, "Were you serious about what you just said?" But she felt that it was too childish to ask that at this time.

"Forget it, let's wait and see." The crowd dragged Jin Keming to the front, and Liu Yun kicked him hard in the back. "Behave yourself. This isn't a place where you can act like a tyrant."

In any case, the crisis was finally over, and He Yi then looked at Zheng Yu, "Why did you suddenly come here?"

Zheng Yu smiled calmly and said casually, "Tomorrow is the day the Empress Dowager will be visiting. I was worried that the preparations in the mansion were not adequate, so I came to check on things. As soon as I arrived at your courtyard, I heard some noises coming from inside, so I..." Zheng Yu didn't finish his sentence.

What do you mean by "it's alright"? It's clearly a classic case of a hero saving a damsel in distress!

[Isn't the male lead's excuse a bit too weak? He's clearly just saying, "I love you, but you don't know it."]

This is so sweet!

Liu Yun had already turned back and noticed that He Yi was looking at Zheng Yu with a complicated expression. She smiled knowingly and prepared to leave, but He Yi hurriedly asked, "Has everything been taken care of?"

A gust of wind blew by, and it seemed as if Jin Keming's cursing could still be heard. Liu Yun smiled to herself, "Princess, I was just about to ask you how to deal with this scoundrel?"

"Lock him in the woodshed first, and send him to Yingtian Prefecture tomorrow. Only by detaining him can I vent my anger." He Yi composed herself and regained the dignity that a princess should have. "Remember to keep a close watch on him and never let him cause trouble while the Empress Dowager is in charge."

After dealing with Jin Keming's matter, it was already late at night. Back in the bedroom, Qingju hurriedly brought over some calming soup and couldn't help but whisper, "Princess, please rest for a while. I'll keep an eye on things." Heyi shook her head, "With the Empress Dowager's presence, our Princess's residence cannot afford the slightest mishap."

Qingju hesitated for a moment, then finally nodded in complete agreement. It seemed she had chosen the right master. Heyi was a little tired at the moment. After drinking the calming soup, she closed her eyes in a daze. In her half-asleep state, Zheng Yu's honest confession under the moon kept replaying in her mind.

He said, "I like her." "I just like her!"

She hurriedly shook her head. How could this be? It shouldn't be like this. He Yi frowned. It was probably because Zheng Yu had saved her several times recently that she was having these wild thoughts.

Well, there are still two hours until dawn. Tomorrow will be busy. In the time before dawn, Zheng Heyi actually got a good rest.

In a daze, He Yi seemed to hear someone calling her. She quickly opened her eyes and saw that it was already daylight outside. She hurriedly went out and saw that Qing Ju was already waiting at the door with several maids.

“Princess,” Qingju reported softly, “Eunuch Chen’s men say that the Empress Dowager’s carriage has departed from the palace and will arrive here in half an hour. Please prepare in advance.”

He Yi suppressed all her chaotic thoughts. "Quick, where is the court robe? Quick!" Qingju had already prepared it for Zheng He Yi and brought it over.

After getting dressed, He Yi smiled, glancing at herself in the mirror. She then stood up and straightened her clothes, her eyes sharpening again. "Pass down the order: everyone to take your positions and prepare to receive the emperor!"

[Yo yo, check it out! The big event is here! The Empress Dowager has arrived!]

[Waiting for the Empress Dowager to appear! Why did she suddenly come to the Princess's residence?]