The flickering flames cast intermittent light and shadow on Sun Xingjian's face. Pan Wenjun glanced at him, then turned and walked towards her own tent.

Sun Xingjian sat in front of the fire pit without saying a word, only silently watching Pan Wenjun enter the tent before standing up, sighing, and returning to his own tent.

Just then, the door that had just been closed was pulled open from the inside again. Pan Wenjun peeked out and looked in the direction of the fire pit. Seeing that the last flames had been extinguished and that Sun Xingjian had already left, she came out from her back tent.

The long night in the valley stretched on, but my mind was heavy with worries, and I couldn't sleep.

Wei Shuwan had only been back in her tent for a short while when she heard a knocking sound at the door. Her heart skipped a beat, thinking that Li Qingchen had followed her again.

However, she quickly calmed down. She had been overthinking it. Li Qingchen was not that kind of clingy person. Besides, if he were to knock on the door, his voice wouldn't be so soft and gentle.

Wei Shuwan walked over, opened the door, and looked at Pan Wenjun standing outside. Although there were only a few of them in the entire hunting grounds now, she was still quite surprised. "Sister Pan, did you want to see me?"

Pan Wenjun nodded somewhat absentmindedly, but quickly realized what was going on and hurriedly shook her head to correct him: "It's nothing much, I just wanted to talk to someone for a few minutes."

"Then come in quickly." With that, Wei Shuwan took a step back and invited Pan Wenjun inside.

Although Zi Qiao and Miao Xiang were not present, they had prepared rose dew in advance and placed it in the tent. Wei Shuwan poured two cups and placed them in front of Pan Wenjun and herself respectively, and praised her maid with a smile: "Sister Pan, please try this rose dew. Miao Xiang is best at making fruit-flavored drinks."

She noticed that Pan Wenjun was in a bad mood and wanted to help her relax before discussing business. Besides, the rose dew had a sleep-inducing effect, so she believed Pan Wenjun would have a good night's sleep.

Pan Wenjun, unlike Wei Shuwan, didn't stand on ceremony. She picked up the cup of clear dew in front of her, took a small sip, savored the taste, and soon a look of surprise appeared on her face:

"It's indeed refreshingly sweet and cleansing, with a wonderful aroma!" After saying this, she took another big gulp and finally felt satisfied.

Wei Shuwan also took a sip with her, then smiled and said, "Fragrant drinks can boost morale and calm tempers, helping those with unstable emotions to settle down. Alright, now Sister Pan can tell me properly what annoying things my uncle did or said just now?"

When the topic came up, Pan Wenjun first let out a long sigh, "Shuwan, I really can't understand Brother Sun anymore."

"What do you mean?" Wei Shuwan raised her delicate eyebrows and looked at Pan Wenjun, appearing to be listening attentively.

“You didn’t see how he protected me when we were in danger in the forest today. He was willing to risk his life to keep me safe!” As she said this, happiness and tenderness were evident in Pan Wenjun’s eyes, but those emotions were quickly replaced by anger: “But just now when I told him my feelings, he only said things that chilled my heart, as if it was all my wishful thinking and that he treated me no differently than he treated others.”

Wei Shuwan didn't know how to comfort him for a moment, so she just defended her uncle, saying, "Sister Pan knows that my uncle has always been like this. He is indifferent and cold to everyone, but he is full of passion for his enemies."

"Then I'd rather be his nemesis, and fight to the death!" Pan Wenjun complained defiantly.

“Shuwan, do you know how annoying your uncle is? Over the years in the North, similar things have happened countless times. Every time something happens, he acts like he would go through fire and water for you, but when you are deeply moved and want to open your heart to him, he turns cold to you. It’s even hard to tell whether he is intentionally toying with you or not.”

Upon hearing this, Wei Shuwan couldn't help but cover her mouth and chuckle. Pan Wenjun was only annoyed with Sun Xingjian and didn't care at all about being laughed at by her. She kept complaining, occasionally lowering her head to drink a sip of rose dew, and continuing to complain when she looked up.

After listening to Pan Wenjun's complaints about her uncle all night, Wei Shuwan pondered for a few moments before finally tentatively asking, "Sister Pan, if I do something slightly outrageous or offensive in the future to please you and my uncle, will you resent me?"

Wei Shuwan stared wide-eyed at Pan Wenjun.

Pan Wenjun was taken aback at first, then smiled, her smile revealing a touch of girlish shyness: "Why did you have to ask me about this beforehand? If I nodded, wouldn't that be conspiring with you to scheme against your uncle?"

Wei Shuwan thought about it and realized that made sense. Usually, when you want to bring someone together, it's best to do it secretly so that you can have an unexpected surprise.

However, Pan Wenjun's situation was different from others and could not be compared. Time was running out for Pan Wenjun, and Wei Shuwan knew that her time was limited and her task was heavy. Especially after this incident, she understood even more clearly that her uncle's personality meant that nothing could be accomplished simply through a few private moments.

Therefore, she will probably have to resort to some drastic measures.

For example... administering medicine.

Although the current dynasty is much more open-minded than the previous dynasty, a woman's chastity is always of paramount importance. Therefore, before resorting to such a tactic, Wei Shuwan still wanted to probe Pan Wenjun's intentions first.

While Wei Shuwan remained silent, Pan Wenjun suspected that her previous words had caused a misunderstanding, so she blushed and explained, "Shuwan, I... I didn't mean that this matter is not feasible, I just mean that you shouldn't have told me beforehand. If I knew the details clearly, I would inevitably feel pressured, and I would feel inferior when facing your uncle."

Wei Shuwan understood now, and it seemed she had agreed.

“Then I’ll organize another gathering in a few days. Next time we’ll go further and stay for three to five days, so we’ll have more opportunities!” she planned earnestly.

Pan Wenjun's eyes shone with fervent anticipation, but then she suddenly remembered something and said disappointedly, "Wait a few days, that won't do. The Thousand Autumns Festival is just around the corner, but my father hasn't decided what birthday gift to present to His Majesty. We've been stationed at the border for years and don't know much about the situation in Shengjing. It seems we'll have to put a lot of effort into preparing it."

Wei Shuwan felt she couldn't be of much help in this matter, and said regretfully, "Although I arrived in Shengjing two years earlier than Sister Pan, my father is of low status and has never entered the cabinet, so naturally he has no chance to meet the Emperor. As for the birthday gift, I have no clue what to do. Sister Pan and the Protector-General might as well visit the residences of those officials in the capital and ask for some advice?"

Pan Wenjun nodded: "That's what I think too, but we'll have to postpone our plans to go on a long trip."