"Your Highness, she's out! Quickly, see if this is the woman we've been looking for—the one wearing a pure white veil and following behind the King of Qin?"
At an inconspicuous street corner in front of the Qin Prince's Mansion, two men with butterfly-shaped silver masks, their black hair tied up, and their postures upright, were quietly talking in hushed tones.
This person was none other than Mei Zhixuan and his personal guard, who had rushed overnight from the southeast of Western Qin to the Qin Prince's Mansion in the east of the city, in search of the Dongning Kingdom's legitimate princess, who was suspected to have been missing for many years.
Mei Zhixuan recognized her from afar; her features and demeanor were unforgettable, even after just one glance.
Moreover, ever since he began to suspect Yi Shangyun, the thing he did most every day was to compare her with the Empress he remembered. The more he compared them, the more he felt that the two were completely the same person.
At this moment, even the usually reserved and composed prince couldn't help but feel a ripple in his heart, and said with a hint of excitement, "That's right, the person I suspect is... her."
Just as the two were talking, Yi Shangyun came out and was carefully helped by Xuan Yuanhan into the magnificent Qin Prince's specially made carriage.
Mei Zhixuan hesitated for a moment before asking, "Have you found out who she is and why she's so close to the Western Qin royal family? Last time, she was with the Western Qin princess, supposedly her personal physician. So why is she so close to the War God King Qin today? She seems to be very much in his heart. She doesn't seem like a servile physician at all, but rather..."
Mei Zhixuan hesitated, a hint of doubt rising in his heart, but he truly didn't want the truth to be as he suspected. Otherwise, everything in the future would be uncertain...
The guard, terrified, hurriedly said, "Your Highness, please forgive us. The Qin Prince's mansion in Western Qin is heavily guarded, and the servants inside are extremely tight-lipped. We have tried everything we could, but we haven't been able to glean even a single piece of information. This is probably why the princess hasn't been able to gather any valuable intelligence for Dongning yet. It seems that the princess is facing many difficulties within the Qin Prince's mansion. This Qin Prince truly lives up to his reputation."
Suddenly, Xuan Yuanhan's carriage began to move slowly, and Mei Zhixuan hurriedly said, "Be careful and follow."
So the two of them followed at a distance.
When the carriage arrived at the entrance of Baicaotang in the city, suddenly, a handsome and alluring man dressed in a charming red outfit, with his black hair half-tied up, strode out with one hand behind his back, blocking the Qin Prince's carriage in the middle of the road and cutting off its path.
The coachman was startled and quickly reined in his horse to stop.
After a long while, the man slowly turned around, his face showing extreme displeasure.
Seeing the carriage suddenly forced to stop, Cheng Liang, who was riding a horse beside him, quickly turned to look ahead and exclaimed, "Young Master Yi!"
Inside the carriage, Yi Shangyun, who hadn't had a good night's sleep all night, was now fast asleep, leaning against the side of the carriage, exhausted.
Xuan Yuanhan, who was sitting in the carriage with his eyes closed as usual, also noticed something unusual. He reached out and lifted the curtain, asking Cheng Liang on horseback, "When did this happen?"
Cheng Liang's expression was somewhat strange. He then leaned closer to the carriage and whispered, "Your Highness, Young Master Yi is blocking the way ahead."
Xuanyuan Han frowned immediately, glancing at the beautiful woman sleeping peacefully beside him. He then slowly rose, lifted the hem of his robe, and stepped down from the carriage.
"Xuanyuan Han, where is the girl? What did you do to her last night? Why didn't she return to the Yi residence last night?" As soon as Xuanyuan Han got out of the carriage, Yi Junhao questioned him sternly.
It turned out that after Xuan Yuanhan took the unconscious Yi Shangyun away from the foot of the mountain in the northern suburbs last night, Yi Junhao saw the hickeys on Yi Shangyun's neck and was really worried. So he sent Manager Xue to the Yi residence to check whether Yi Shangyun had returned safely to the Yi residence.
However, early this morning, as soon as he stepped into the gate of Baicaotang, Manager Xue unexpectedly reported that Yi Shangyun had not yet entered the gate of Yi Mansion.
At this moment, Yi Junhao was preparing to cause a ruckus at the Qin Prince's mansion when Xuan Yuanhan unexpectedly delivered himself to his doorstep.
Xuan Yuanhan slowly approached Yi Junhao, standing shoulder to shoulder with him in the opposite direction. His hands were behind his back, his deep eyes fixed straight ahead. He then casually whispered in Yi Junhao's ear, "Third Young Master Yi, how many times do I have to remind you? I've said it before, Yi Shangyun can only belong to me for life. You… don't even think about it. Besides, thanks to you last night… you saw it all. Why humiliate yourself further?"
Upon hearing these provocative words, Yi Junhao recalled that he had originally planned to feign romance and intimacy with Yi Shangyun last night to give Xuan Yuanhan a warning, but in the end, he had ended up benefiting someone else.
Thinking of this, Yi Junhao immediately flew into a rage, clenching his teeth tightly. His usually charming peach blossom eyes, as captivating as a spring breeze, now seemed capable of unleashing swords.
He roared, "Xuanyuan Han, don't force me to take action! Do you think I, the Valley Master, really wouldn't dare to attack you? If this weren't a bustling marketplace, I would have beaten you to a pulp! Do you believe me? I don't care if you're the King of Western Qin or the War God King of Qin. Anyone who bullies the girl will not be spared!"
After they finished speaking, their eyes met, and a murderous aura filled the air around them.
At this moment, Yi Shangyun was awakened by the two arguing. She saw that the carriage had stopped at some point and that Xuan Yuanhan beside her had disappeared. She hurriedly got off the carriage.
"Third Young Master!" As soon as she stepped out of the carriage, she saw Yi Junhao, who was confronting Xuan Yuanhan, and ran towards him with delight.
As soon as she arrived, she reached out and grabbed Yi Junhao's arm, raising her eyebrows in surprise and saying, "Third Young Master, what are you doing here?"
Upon seeing his girl, Yi Junhao immediately suppressed his previous angry expression, but glared at her and said with a hint of reproach, "Look where this is?"
Yi Shangyun then hurriedly glanced around and immediately spotted the eye-catching signboard of Baicaotang. She pouted and said, "Oh, so I've already arrived at Baicaotang."
Yi Junhao immediately pulled Yi Shangyun aside and asked with great concern, "Girl, did he bully you again last night at the Prince Qin's residence?"
As Yi Junhao spoke, he glanced at Xuan Yuanhan, who was standing silently to the side. Xuan Yuanhan saw Yi Shangyun intimately holding Yi Junhao's arm and tried his best to suppress his displeasure.
Yi Shangyun glanced at Xuan Yuanhan, who was standing alone to the side, and felt a pang of pity. But then she smiled and said to Yi Junhao, "What are you thinking, Third Young Master? How could His Highness the Prince of Qin possibly do anything to a lowly woman like me? You're overthinking it."
Yi Junhao was unimpressed and hurriedly lifted her veil, wanting to ask her about the hickey. However, he didn't expect that the hickey had already been cleverly covered up with makeup by Yi Shangyun when she got up early to do her makeup, and no one could see the trace of it.
Yi Junhao thought to himself, "Am I seeing things?"
Just as he hesitated, Yi Shangyun looked at his outstretched hand and exclaimed, "What are you doing, Third Young Master?"
"On your neck, last night it was clearly..." Yi Junhao hesitated, extremely puzzled.
"What exactly does Third Young Master want to say?" Yi Shangyun knew what Yi Junhao wanted to ask, but pretended to conceal it when she asked.
Yi Junhao could only silently move his hand away with a suspicious look, then lied to him, "I just wanted to see how you looked? Did you feel any better after taking that hermit's divine medicine last night?"
Upon hearing this, Yi Shangyun immediately became excited and said, "That's right, that reclusive master is indeed extraordinary. After taking that divine medicine, I only felt my legs getting warm, and since I got up this morning, I haven't felt any of the usual soreness. It seems that I have really recovered."
Upon hearing this, Yi Junhao was instantly relieved and hurriedly grabbed Yi Shangyun's arm, saying, "Really? Let me see."
As he spoke, he looked down at her knees, and Yunyi nodded vigorously at him excitedly.
Xuan Yuanhan, who was standing to the side, could no longer bear to watch the two of them being so intimate. He finally couldn't help but let out a sigh of relief, then strode forward, grabbed Yi Shangyun's wrist, and dragged her away.
Soon, Xuan Yuanhan dragged her to the carriage, picked her up, and shoved her into it. Yi Shangyun sat trembling in the carriage, curled up like a frightened rabbit, completely stunned.
It took her a long time to come to her senses, but she no longer dared to look up at the domineering eyes of the man in front of her.
Xuanyuan Han glared angrily, and seeing that he had finally quieted down, he glared at him fiercely and said, "You better behave yourself and stay inside obediently, or... you'll bear the consequences."
Then, he turned back to Yi Junhao, who was standing there stunned and furious, and warned him with suppressed anger, "I told you to stay away from her from now on. Did you really take my words to heart?"
After a brief pause, Xuan Yuanhan's eyes slowly drifted towards the signboard of Baicaotang. After a moment, he looked back at Yi Junhao and solemnly said, "If you dare to provoke me again, I won't hesitate to personally demolish your Baicaotang, raze your Baicao Valley, and send you back to your old home in Nan'an. You should know that I can easily accomplish such a thing."
“You…” Yi Junhao’s fearless eyes suddenly turned to him, filled with rage. But what Xuan Yuanhan said was entirely true. After all, he was now in Western Qin, not in Nan’an. Xuan Yuanhan did have the ability to drive him out of Western Qin without lifting a finger.
Thinking of this, Yi Junhao had no choice but to suppress his anger, his large, well-defined hands clenching tightly, making a cracking sound.
Xuanyuan Han, however, seemed to really like his tone of compromise and defeat.
After giving a warning, Xuan Yuanhan turned around and walked towards the carriage. He lifted the hem of his robe, stepped onto the carriage, and continued driving towards the Yi Mansion in the west of the city.
Yi Junhao stood there, stunned, watching helplessly as Xuan Yuanhan's figure receded into the distance. He thought to himself, "Xuan Yuanhan's feelings for that girl are so domineering. If only she were willing to go back to Nan'an with him."
But as soon as the thought crossed his mind, he smiled helplessly and said silently, "How could that be? From beginning to end, the girl has only ever seen him as her brother... Fine, in this life, let me protect you in the name of your brother. In the next life, you will repay me."
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