Chapter 25
Seeing the person who abruptly interrupted him, Qi Ziyue sighed helplessly and called out, "Young Master!" Coming back to his senses, Xi Yimin looked at Qi Ziyue and, seeing that she hadn't finished speaking, urged, "What else is it? Speak quickly." Qi Ziyue sighed and whispered, "Leng Xueran is not Leng Shouqing's biological daughter, but the Emperor's daughter!" Xi Yimin looked at the speaker in disbelief, "Who said that?" "I overheard it at the Third Prince's place." Wait a minute, if that's the case, why did An Ye'er want to kill him? I protected the Emperor's throne; since Xueran is her and the Emperor's daughter, shouldn't she thank me? Was she forced into having Xueran by the Emperor? Remembering how much the Emperor cared about An Ye'er, he sensed something was amiss. "Ziyue, have you found An Ye'er?" Qi Ziyue asked doubtfully, "No, we haven't. It seems someone is deliberately trying to mislead us, and those people aren't An Ye'er's people." Hearing this, Xi Yimin looked up at Qi Ziyue in surprise and said urgently, "Investigate whether An Ye'er was in the palace when the Emperor was still the Crown Prince. Did she give birth to a child then? Also, investigate whether the Crown Prince's biological mother was An Ye'er?" Hearing this, Qi Ziyue said seriously, "I saw that Crown Prince when I was infiltrating the General's Mansion, but his appearance is somewhat similar to the Madam's."
At this point, the two were startled. Qi Ziyue said, "In that case, the Crown Prince is very likely An Ye'er's son, Xue Ran's brother or sister. It seems the Emperor might truly love An Ye'er. But does An Ye'er love the Emperor?" Xi Yimin had some guesses in his mind. "If she loves him, why would she create an enemy for the Emperor? If she doesn't love him, why would she bear him children?" Following Xi Yimin's line of thought, Qi Ziyue analyzed, "There are two possibilities for hatred: one is that she doesn't love him and the child was forced to be born; the other is that love turned into hatred!" After he finished speaking, Xi Yimin said urgently, "Ziyue, quickly find out the reason and report back immediately!" Qi Ziyue replied that he was right and left the Xi residence.
Xi Yimin left his study and, seeing that it was late, returned to the main hall. He found Leng Xueran sitting there, seemingly waiting for him. A smile touched him, and he asked, "Xueran, were you waiting for me?" The woman didn't deny it, rising to walk to Xi Yimin's side and softly replying, "Yes, I was waiting for you to have dinner together." Hearing this, Xi Yimin took the woman's hand and led her to the dining room. "From now on, don't wait for me when it's late. I'll be worried if you get hungry." Leng Xueran playfully retorted, "I'm not that delicate. I'll get hungry soon. Eating alone is too lonely for me, so I'll wait for Yimin to eat together." Hearing this, Xi Yimin tightened his grip on her hand and softly said, "In that case, I won't be busy until so late anymore. I'll have dinner with Xueran earlier." The woman scolded, "Put important matters first. Don't let me delay important things." Xi Yimin laughed heartily, "Having dinner with Xueran is important, it's important." The woman blushed and playfully retorted, "You're so glib. I rarely listen to you."
After dinner, in the bedroom, Xi Yimin sat at his desk, a book in his hand, but his eyes were fixed on the woman embroidering by the bedside. A warmth filled his heart, and a smile played on his lips. He softly called out, "Xue Ran." Hearing this, the woman looked up at him in confusion and asked, "What is it?" Xi Yimin put down his book, rose, and went to Leng Xue Ran's side. He gently removed the embroidery from her hands and said tenderly, "Don't hurt your eyes." The woman looked at him and said softly, "Yimin, is there something you want to tell me?" Hearing this, Xi Yimin didn't hide his feelings and smiled, "Xue Ran is truly a..." "You're such a clever and intelligent woman, I just want to ask about Xue Ran's mother." Hearing this, the woman remained silent for a long while. Xi Yimin thought she wouldn't answer, but then she said dejectedly, "Yimin, please ask whatever you want." Xi Yimin gently pulled the woman into his arms and said softly, "Was Xue Ran born in the Leng family mansion?" Hearing this, the woman asked in confusion, "That's my home. Shouldn't I have been born in the Leng family mansion? I've been in the Leng family mansion since I can remember. Why do you ask this, Yimin?" Xi Yimin smiled and said, "I just want to know if Xue Ran's mother gave birth to Xue Ran in the Leng family mansion, but..." "And I have brothers and sisters." Somewhat surprised, Xi Yimin asked this question. After thinking for a while, he said, "I remember once hearing Mother call out in a dream, 'My son, Mother is sorry for you.' Perhaps it is true, as Yimin says, that I have an older brother or a younger brother." Hearing this, he asked, "What kind of person was Xue Ran's mother?" After a long silence, Leng Xue Ran said softly, "When I was little, Mother was a warm person. Although she wasn't good at expressing herself, she was very good to me and Father. I can't remember when it started, but Mother changed. She often didn't come home. Since then, Father has also become less talkative and more depressed." "I'm depressed, but Father still indulges Mother, never contradicting anything she does. I think Father must love Mother. But now I don't even know where she is. I've always known that Father didn't hide Mother; she must have chosen not to see me." Sensing the woman's emotions, Xi Yimin comforted her, "It's alright, Xue Ran. Mother will come back. She just hasn't figured out some things. Once she understands, everything will be alright. Xue Ran, it's getting late, let's go to bed." The woman in his arms gave a muffled "Mmm" in agreement.
Yesterday the manor was quiet all day, but today it's in complete chaos. Indeed, that woman who's made such a fuss in the courtyard—she went to the temple to fulfill a vow yesterday, and today she's started causing trouble. She's sitting in the main hall this morning, ordering servants to bring tea and water, prepare breakfast, and even telling them to wake their mistress, who's still sleeping in her bedroom. She's acting like she owns the manor. The servants dare not object, after all, she's the mistress's sister and the young master's sister-in-law. The two, who slept late last night, are feeling resentful being woken. Looking at Leng Ying sitting in the dining hall waiting for them to eat, Xi Yimin coldly said, "Second Miss, what's going on?" Leng Ying smiled at them and said, "It's already past dawn, and you're still not up? What kind of behavior is this!" Hearing this, Xi Yimin's anger flared, and he coldly said: "Second Miss knows it's only Mao Shi (5-7 AM), and besides, we're in our own residence. We can get up whenever we want, so it's none of your business. Don't act like you're the host in the future." Hearing her blunt words, Leng Ying's eyes welled with tears, and she said aggrievedly, "I was wrong. I shouldn't have disturbed your good time." Hearing her so bluntly, Leng Xue Ran blushed and quickly retorted, "Our late rising isn't what you think." Upon hearing this, Xi Yi Min looked at Leng Ying and sneered, "Is Mao Shi late? Besides, what Xue Ran and I do is none of your business." Leng Xue Ran, hearing that this man wasn't helping to explain and was only making things worse, couldn't help but pinch Xi Yi Min. To Leng Ying, this small gesture seemed like flirting, and she felt uncomfortable. She looked away and complained, "You two eat slowly, I'm going for a walk."
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