Jun Xuan didn't know what words had struck a nerve, but he looked at Ji Shaoyue with annoyance, feeling inexplicably irritated.

Of course, this was definitely not because of Shen Yunxi, but because Ji Shaoyue had said something pointless, that was all, Jun Xuan thought to himself.

Hearing the displeasure in Jun Xuan's tone, Ji Shaoyue was even more surprised. He had grown up with Jun Xuan since childhood and knew him quite well. It seemed that Jun Xuan harbored a lot of resentment.

"Jinyu, why don't you tell me? Let me hear it. More people mean more perspectives," Ji Shaoyue said with a curious look.

Jun Xuan glanced at Ji Shaoyue indifferently, then looked away and said irritably, "You want to see me make a fool of myself."

Ji Shaoyue immediately coughed lightly and snapped open the folding fan in his hand. "Oh dear, what are you saying? Do you think I'm that kind of person? Jinyu, you've really misunderstood your cousin. I'm just genuinely worried about you!"

On the folding fan that Ji Shaoyue opened were four large, elegant characters: "Fengliu Titang" (风流倜傥).

"Alright, stop joking. He was just born a day earlier than me, what kind of older brother is that? Come with me to the pavilion in the middle of the lake for a while. I won't be going to my uncle's banquet later, it's too much of a commotion," Jun Xuan said calmly.

"Ah? Jinyu isn't going? That's a real pity. I bet Miss Lu is already asking around about you and is definitely coming to find you." Ji Shaoyue chuckled. "It's widely rumored in the capital that the Emperor is deeply in love with Miss Lu, and Miss Lu is also deeply in love with the Emperor. I just don't know when we'll hear good news from you two."

Junxuan paused. The Miss Lu that Ji Shaoyue mentioned was named Lu Wanqing. Her father was the Minister of Works, and her mother was the younger sister of the current Empress Dowager.

When the late emperor was alive, his aunt Lu Wanqing was deeply favored by him; otherwise, she would not have become an Imperial Noble Consort, a secondary empress in the harem. She was the former empress, and even the current empress dowager has to give her some respect.

Nowadays, the Empress Dowager rarely goes out, and there is no news of her on ordinary days, but Junxuan still remembers to send her a good gift.

The reason is simple: the Empress Dowager took good care of Junxuan when he was young, and now she is repaying that kindness.

What Junxuan cared about was not Lu Wanqing's family background, nor was it because of the Empress Dowager's influence, but rather the interaction she had with Junxuan when she was a child.

"When did you switch to another business? Your current business isn't enough for you, so you have to become a gossipmonger?" Junxuan said coolly.

Ji Shaoyue was born into a good family. If he were to enter officialdom, he could achieve great success, whether in a civil or military position, since he started from this position.

He simply didn't like entering officialdom; he preferred doing business and has now become a royal merchant.

However, he would be invited to any kind of banquet in the capital, and the hosts would not feel ashamed of his status as a merchant. After all, if the emperor did not care, no one else would care either.

With Junxuan's connection, Ji Shaoyue was very successful and comfortable in business, enjoying dealing with money.

People can never have too much money, so Ji Shaoyue made making money his life goal. He even built his bed with gold, which shows how much he loved money.

“Oh dear, don’t say that. That’s what everyone in the capital is saying. Since you haven’t explained, it’s natural for people to misunderstand. I bet Miss Lu and Shen Yunxi consider each other mortal enemies, and they both want to enter the palace. I just don’t know who your first concubine will be, but many people are optimistic about Shen Yunxi, after all, she has the late emperor’s bestowal of a marriage.” Ji Shaoyue said.

Thinking of what Shen Yunxi had just said, Jun Xuan looked at Ji Shaoyue with a very complicated expression.

"I know my own marriage plans, you don't need to worry about them. Let's talk about what good things you got from your recent voyage." Junxuan changed the subject.

Upon hearing this, Ji Shaoyue knew that Jun Xuan was no longer willing to satisfy his curiosity, so he could only put away his folding fan and give up.

In fact, Ji Shaoyue wasn't completely unaware. He knew very well that Jun Xuan often turned a blind eye to Lu Wanqing because when Jun Xuan was punished and imprisoned by the late emperor, she stayed up with him until midnight and even gave him a bag of bamboo candy.

Ji Shaoyue thought it was no big deal, but Junxuan kept it in his heart. He remembered that kind little girl.

Perhaps it was because Junxuan hadn't eaten anything at that time and had been locked up for a whole day that he remembered that bag of bamboo candy to this day. Even though he knew that the Lu family sometimes used his name to do things, he would still pretend not to know.

As for whether Junxuan likes Lu Wanqing or not, Ji Shaoyue doesn't know. The only thing he knows is that Junxuan cares a lot about Lu Wanqing.

Ji Shaoyue was still pondering when he saw Jun Xuan's figure already walking away, so he quickly shouted.

"Jinyu, wait for me, let me have a good talk with you."

The two figures walked away slowly, one after the other.

On the other side, Shen Yunxi and Jiang Weiran also found a guest room to rest properly, which was also so that they could have a proper conversation.

"There's no one here, Yunxi, please tell me properly why you've changed like this? And how did you see through Shen Leyi's true colors?" Jiang Weiran asked with a face full of curiosity.

Shen Yunxi smiled wryly, "Alright, let me start with my trip to Yanshan Tang. I almost drowned then, and memories flashed through my mind like a jumble of images—things I'd never even considered before suddenly came to mind..."

That's not entirely deceiving Jiang Weiran. Aside from not knowing how to bring up the matter of her rebirth, she had nothing to hide about Shen Leyi's schemes.

After hearing Shen Yunxi's words, Jiang Weiran was filled with anger.

"I knew Shen Leyi never had a good intention. People like her are truly disgusting. You treated her like a sister, and this is how she repays you?" Jiang Weiran put her hands on her hips. "No, these things absolutely cannot be left like this. She was still scheming against you today. Doesn't she realize that the Emperor doesn't compromise so easily?"

If we're not careful, the entire Shen family could be implicated. So how exactly does Shen Leyi's brain work?

Shen Yunxi didn't react so strongly. "Weiran, don't be angry. Calm down. Now that I know her thoughts, I will not follow her arrangements. She is destined to be disappointed today. Perhaps if she leads people to the island in the middle of the lake, it will displease the Emperor and she will be punished."

Since Junxuan overheard her conversation with Shen Leyi, he probably doesn't care. As long as she's not alone with Junxuan at the lakeside pavilion, that's fine.

Jiang Weiran calmed down and realized that it was indeed a good thing that Shen Yunxi had a solution.

only......

"Yunxi, tell me honestly, what are your thoughts about the Emperor now?"