Halfway through the banquet, Qi Yue felt a bit stifled, so she quietly left her seat and went alone to the back garden of the Duke of Ying's mansion. It was relatively quiet there, with only a few servants busy in the distance.
She sat in the pavilion, gazing absently at the koi swimming in the pond. Suddenly, a familiar figure appeared on the garden path—Xin Suiyun! He had entered the Duke of Ying's mansion at some point and was walking briskly along the path, seemingly on important business.
Qi Yue instinctively hid behind a pavilion pillar, her heart pounding. She saw Xin Suiyun meet up with Crown Prince Xiao Chengji at a corner, and the two exchanged a few words in hushed tones. Because of the distance, she couldn't hear the content of their conversation, but she could see that Xin Suiyun's respectful attitude was completely different from what she had seen in the alley earlier.
Just as she was peeking, Xin Suiyun suddenly turned his head, his gaze fixed on where she was hiding. Qi Yue was startled and shrank back, holding her breath. When she peeked out again, the two had vanished.
"Have you seen enough?" A cold voice suddenly came from behind.
Qi Yue was so startled she almost jumped up. Turning around, she found Xin Suiyun standing in the pavilion. He had changed into clean clothes, but Qi Yue could still smell a faint scent of blood.
"I...I didn't mean to peek..." Qi Yue stammered as she explained.
Xin Suiyun narrowed her eyes and approached step by step: "Miss Qi seems to be very interested in me?"
Qi Yue retreated until her back hit a pavilion pillar, leaving her with nowhere to go. She mustered her courage and looked up at Xin Suiyun: "My sister said... you killed a Northern Di spy, sent by my cousin, the Crown Prince."
Xin Suiyun raised an eyebrow: "So?"
"Then why did you scare me? Why didn't you just say so?" Qi Yue's voice trembled slightly.
Xin Suiyun suddenly laughed, a laugh tinged with sarcasm: "Why should I explain my actions to Miss Qi? Who do you think you are?"
These words were like a bucket of cold water poured over Qi Yue's head. Yes, who was she? Just an ordinary person relying on her family's protection; what right did she have to question the Crown Prince's secret guard?
Seeing that her eyes were red again, Xin Suiyun's expression softened slightly. He lowered his head and leaned closer to Qi Yue, his voice very low: "Miss Qi, things in this world are not black and white. Who I am and what I do is none of your business. You just need to be a well-behaved Miss Qi and not meddle in other people's affairs."
After saying that, he turned and left, leaving Qi Yue alone in the pavilion, her mind in turmoil.
After the banquet, the Qi family prepared to return home. Before leaving, Qi Mingyue specifically sought out Qi Yue and gave her a small dagger.
“This is…” Qi Yue looked at the exquisite dagger in her hand in surprise.
Qi Mingyue said in a low voice, "I brought this from the border for your self-defense. Although the capital is peaceful, today's events remind me that it's best to be careful." She paused, then said meaningfully, "That Xin Suiyun... stay away from him. He's not someone you can mess with."
On the carriage back to the manor, Qi Yue remained silent. Her mother, Xin Xiyao, thought she was tired, so she gently put her arm around her shoulder and let her rest against her.
Qi Yue closed her eyes, but Xin Suiyun's cold eyes and his words kept replaying in her mind—"Could it be that you are not a member of the Qi family?"
She had a vague sense of unease, as if something was quietly changing and she was powerless to stop it.
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