"How long have you been here?"

"Just arrived."

She waited outside, having timed it precisely when the city gates opened.

"Thank you, I'm sorry to have troubled you." Pei Yanzhi said, glancing at Jiang Shuwan's frostbitten face, and then subtly moved to block the wind.

"Go in."

"Why didn't I see Yin Quan? Didn't he go with you?" Jiang Shuwan said as she pulled Qingxing. The little girl rubbed her eyes and slowly woke up, still half asleep and in a daze.

Jiang Shuwan grabbed her and led her inside.

"Something's happened at Yinquan..."

"Young Master, I've brought the sweet tofu pudding that the young mistress loves most from Douxiang Shop on West Street."

Pei Yanzhi had only said a few words when Yin Quan ran over carrying a food box.

Upon seeing Jiang Shuwan, he immediately covered his mouth.

The tofu pudding was secretly bought on the orders of the crown prince, and now it's been exposed.

"..."

An awkward expression flashed in her eyes, but it was only for a moment.

The next second, it was all covered up.

Clutching the palace lantern handle tightly, the young man said calmly, "I heard you like tofu pudding, so I'll have Yin Quan buy you some. I've been busy with government affairs these days, and the family is all relying on you. Thank you."

"..."

Yin Quan: My young master's skill in making excuses is truly unparalleled in this world.

"Oh, oh, oh." Jiang Shuwan accepted it without thinking much about it, after all, Pei Yanzhi had given her quite a few things before.

"Go inside, the old lady is already waiting."

The old lady woke up early. When Jiang Shuwan and Pei Yanzhi entered the room, the old lady had already eaten breakfast. Upon seeing the two of them come in, she immediately ordered a new meal.

After finishing their meal, Jiang Shuwan went back to her room. Pei Yanzhi stayed in the old lady's room for a while, and then went directly to Liu Yunyan's courtyard.

"cousin."

Liu Yunyan greeted him with delight; this was the first time Pei Yanzhi had ever come to her courtyard on his own initiative.

Frowning, the boy didn't even go inside, and asked directly, "What did you say to the old lady?"

"Cousin, I didn't say anything. I just had dinner with the old lady yesterday..."

She said with a wronged expression, but when she saw Pei Yanzhi's cold face and unfriendly gaze, her heart skipped a beat. She quickly pointed at Granny Xia and said, "It's all because Granny Xia spoke ill of my sister-in-law that the old lady misunderstood."

"Your Highness, spare me!" Granny Xia hurriedly knelt down, slapping her own face as she spoke up for Liu Yunyan, "Your Highness, spare me! It was all my fault for being so careless with my words. It has nothing to do with our young lady. Our young lady has never said a bad word about the young mistress in front of the old lady. Your Highness, please understand!"

As he spoke, he slapped her several times, swelling her face and causing blood to trickle from the corner of her mouth.

The boy tapped his fingers absently on the coffee table, staring at Granny Xia. Granny Xia felt a chill run down her neck and lowered her head in fear.

“Cousin, Granny Xia knows she was wrong, so please forgive her. The old lady has already reprimanded her before.”

“After all, Aunt Xia was my wet nurse, cousin.”

Liu Yunyan pleaded, and Pei Yanzhi seemed lost in thought. A moment later, the young man waved his hand in fear, and Xia Mama immediately knelt down in gratitude.

She shut her mouth and dared not say anything more.

"Thank you, cousin."

My cousin really does care about me.

Liu Yunyan thought happily, but when she looked up, she met Pei Yanzhi's deep, abyss-like gaze. Her heart tightened, and her heart clenched into a fist.

"I'll only say this once: don't say anything unnecessary, don't do anything unnecessary, understand?" His voice was a shade colder than the snow and ice outside.

"I...I remember." Liu Yunyan clutched her handkerchief, tears welling up in her eyes. Seeing that Pei Yanzhi was still staring at her, she quickly added, "I will listen to my cousin. I will never dare to do it again."

After Pei Yanzhi left, Liu Yunyan immediately threw herself onto the bed and burst into tears.

"My cousin has never been so mean to me before..."

"He actually yelled at me like that because of another woman..."

Granny Xia quickly stepped forward, hugged her, and comforted her, "It must have been something the old lady said. Don't worry, young lady. I've also figured it out these past few days. The young master and young mistress were originally husband and wife. If the young master had been willing, it would have been a happy occasion long ago. You mustn't make a mistake at this time!"

"Of course I wouldn't be confused. I know my cousin better than anyone. If he liked someone, would he need to hide it? It's just that he was too mean to me, sob sob sob. I only said a few bad things about Jiang Shuwan, why did he have to be like this..."

Liu Yunyan collapsed onto the bed, crying until the corners of the blankets were soaked. Xia Mama tried to comfort her, but to no avail. Just as she was getting anxious, Yin Quan came in carrying a box.

“Miss, the young master said that you should stop taking the alluring pills that the Fourth Prince gave you. The young master has found some fragrant pills that are harmless to the human body and have the same fragrance as the alluring pills after you take them.”

"..." Liu Yunyan was stunned. "How did my cousin know that the Fourth Prince gave me the Bewitching Pill?"

She didn't tell Pei Yanzhi about this, after all, the alluring pill, combined with her daily fragrant baths, could make her body emit a fragrant aroma, causing infatuation and confusion, making it difficult for men to resist.

She took such good things secretly, and only twice.

One time was when I went to the library late at night.

The other time was a few days ago when she pretended to be sick.

"How did my cousin know about the Aphrodisiac Pill?" Liu Yunyan asked anxiously, grabbing Xia Mama's hand and pacing back and forth.

"Won't my cousin suspect that I'm hiding something from him?"

She started crying again in her anxiety.

"I finally managed to stay by my cousin's side with the Fourth Prince. It's all my fault. I shouldn't have used this Aphrodisiac Pill. It's supposed to be a love potion, but it has no effect at all!"

As Liu Yunyan spoke, she smashed a mahogany box on the dressing table to pieces, and red pills the size of red beans immediately rolled all over the floor.

Granny Xia quickly picked them up. "Don't worry, young lady. Since the young master didn't criticize you to your face, it proves that he doesn't suspect you. After all, you risked your life to tell him the Fourth Prince's plan. You entrusted your life and fortune to the young master."

"That's true..."

Liu Yunyan felt comforted after thinking about it this way.

“I was observing mourning at home when the Fourth Prince’s men found me and gave me these pills to bewitch my cousin. It’s all thanks to the Fourth Prince. If it weren’t for him, my cousin wouldn’t have sent someone to bring me to the capital.”

With her face clearing of her expression, Liu Yunyan lovingly stroked the sandalwood box that Yin Quan had sent her, then opened it and examined the individual blue pills inside.

Her gaze was lingering, and the affection in her eyes was almost overflowing.

"Cousin, he must have been worried about me to send me these pills."

"Hmph, only the Fourth Prince would think I would submit to his tyranny. I have been determined to marry my cousin since I was a child. How could I possibly scheme against my cousin for an outsider, let alone the Fourth Prince?"

"You son of a lowly slave! You can't even see your place, yet you try to sow discord between me and my cousin. How utterly absurd!"