The carriage drove slowly to the gate of the Duke of Zhenguo's Mansion.

No one came out to greet us and the door remained closed.

There were gatekeepers standing outside the gate, one on each side, chatting idly. They were stunned when they saw the carriage from the palace stop.

"This carriage is so luxurious, it looks like it belongs to some important person."

"I didn't hear that any noble person was coming to your house today."

"Why not go up and ask first?"

"OK."

The two men walked forward and saw the curtain of the carriage being lifted up. A little maid walked out from inside, and then stretched out a white and slender hand and placed it on the back of the maid's hand.

The two were about to salute when they suddenly saw a strange yet familiar face appear, and they were both stuck.

Xie Mio looked at the two people standing there stupidly and smiled humbly and gently: "Please help me pass the message, I will come back to visit my brother."

The two of them came to their senses and quickly responded, "Hey, Miss Six... wait a moment."

One of them hurried into the mansion to pass the message, while the other stood aside awkwardly.

Xie Mio was obviously used to being treated poorly, so she slowly climbed the stairs and stood outside the vermilion gate of the Duke's Mansion, quietly waiting for a call from inside.

Yunhuan, who was standing aside, quietly raised his eyes to look at her, but saw that she did not look unhappy at all, and still looked calm and indifferent, as if she was not returning to the home where she grew up, but visiting someone else's mansion.

I couldn't help but feel a little sympathy in my heart.

Soon, the gatekeeper came back and bowed to her, saying, "Lady, please come in. The Fifth Master is waiting for you in the East Courtyard."

Xie Mio nodded slightly and walked into the mansion.

She was very familiar with the Duke of Zhenguo's Mansion and could find the correct courtyard without any guidance.

After entering the door, I saw a small sapling planted in the yard at some point. It was not even as tall as a person and looked wilted, as if it might wither at any time.

It's no wonder that she noticed it at first sight. This tree looked particularly out of place in the middle of the yard and was out of tune with the surrounding environment.

She casually asked the maid in the courtyard: "What kind of tree is this?"

The maid replied, "Master said it was a cherry tree, but it has been planted for two years and has only sprouted, not bloomed."

Xie Mio frowned: "Brother, why did you plant such a strange tree?"

The maid shook her head: "I don't know."

She pursed her lips, asked no more questions, and walked into the house.

At this time, Xie Cheng was sitting by the window writing something. He looked up when he heard the noise. When he saw her, he smiled and said, "You're back?"

Xie Mio saw that he looked fine, except for his slightly pale lips, his overall complexion was pretty good, and he didn't look like he was seriously ill.

Xie Cheng knew she was confused, so he put down his brush and walked over to her: "Did Dad say in the letter I wrote to you that I was seriously ill? In fact, I just accidentally cut my arm while practicing swordplay. You know my physical condition, and I rarely get sick."

She was silent for a moment, then asked, "Since it was my father who asked me to come back, why didn't he let me go see him now?"

He didn't answer, but went into the back room and took out a small pot of wine, saying with a smile, "I saved the peach blossom wine from last year, but I never drank it because I was waiting for you."

He sat down at the table, casually placed two wine glasses, filled each of them, and then said, "You and I, brother and sister, haven't seen each other for a long time. We should sit down and have a drink first."

In the past, before her brother and she got married, they would often get together on the roof to drink in the dead of night. It was at that moment that they were the most uninhibited and willful, using the alcohol to do things they would not dare to do on ordinary days.

Their aunt died early, and they depended on each other for survival, walking on thin ice and living cautiously in this cannibalistic Duke's Mansion.

Later, her brother married and had children in order to pursue his career, so she never came to this yard to drink again. Moreover, her brother was so busy that he was rarely seen all day long. It had been several years since the two siblings had been alone together.

Xie Mio walked over and sat down opposite him, picked up the glass of wine and drank it all, then asked, "Why didn't I see my sister-in-law and the children today?"

"Ayu wanted to eat the peach blossom cakes from Xia Mu Nan Sheng's shop, so your sister-in-law took him there."

Xie Mio nodded in understanding and poured herself another glass of wine.

Xie Cheng looked at her and said, "I heard... the princess treated you very well?"

"Well, there are always rumors that Princess Rui is jealous, but she has never been harsh on me."

"Seeing that you are doing well, I feel relieved."

Xie Mio glanced at him and said, "I have been in the palace for so long. Although I rarely show up in front of people, I know a lot of things. Princess Rui is actually a very smart woman. Brother was able to deceive her easily at that time, perhaps just because she had feelings for you."

Xie Cheng was stunned for a moment, then suddenly shook his head: "I don't think so... Jiang Muyu in the past was really arrogant and stupid, and she is completely different from the Jiang Muyu now. I often wonder... if she has been replaced by someone else."

"Brother, why do you think so?" Xie Mio was a little surprised: "She is the concubine of King Rui. If she is really replaced by someone else, King Rui will definitely be the first to find out."

"Maybe..." He hesitated: "Maybe...he really found it?"

Xie Mio was stunned for a moment, then she smiled and said, "If King Rui finds out, it won't be our turn to take care of it. Look, Jiang Muyu is still sitting firmly in the position of princess. It shows that the truth or falsehood of this matter has no effect on her, right? With King Rui around, even if others are suspicious, it won't cause any waves."

Xie Cheng frowned: "Are you so sure that King Rui is capable of handling everything?"

"Why do I need to confirm his ability? He is a prince, but he can participate in politics and lead troops. This is an unprecedented exception since the founding of Tiangan."

Xie Mio raised an eyebrow: "Brother, do you still remember that a few years ago when you came back from a social event and got drunk, you said that even the current emperor's throne was probably obtained by relying on Prince Rui?"

Xie Cheng immediately covered her mouth, looked around, and said in a low voice: "Don't talk nonsense. If this word gets out, you will be beheaded!"

Xie Liao irritably pulled his hand away and asked, "Brother, do you think my current situation is any different from death? How many days of peace have I had in all these years?"

Xie Cheng was silent for a moment, then he snatched the wine glass from her hand and said softly, "You are drunk."

"Brother knows that I can drink a lot." Xie Mio suddenly laughed at herself and said, "In fact, I had a peaceful life."

Xie Cheng knew that she was referring to the more than one year she had spent in the palace.

He remained silent, picked up the wine glass, drank a glass, poured himself another, and drank five glasses in a row before finally stopping. His voice became a little hoarse: "It was my brother who failed to protect you."

Xie Mio held down his hand as he continued to pour the wine and said softly, "Brother, don't blame yourself. I know it hasn't been easy for you these past few years."

He said nothing, put aside her hand and raised his head to drink another glass of wine. The light pink wine flowed from the corners of his lips and dripped onto his white collar, like a petal falling into the lake, creating blooming ripples.

Xie Mio looked at him across the table, her face returning to her usual calmness: "Brother said that he had never fallen in love with Jiang Muyu, then who did you plant that half-dead cherry tree in your yard for?"

"I just picked it up by chance on the roadside and planted it casually."

"Really? Maybe." Xie Mio pulled her clothes together and stood up: "Brother's injury is not fully healed yet, drink less."

Having said that, she got up and walked out.