At a street corner, beneath a century-old tree, a slender figure wearing a mask, her expression obscured, peeked out from behind the tree. She clutched the hem of her dress in one hand and clung to the tree trunk with the other, watching two anxious figures in the crowd.
It turns out that Xueying wasn't separated from Hongli and Hongzhou by the crowd; she deliberately took the opportunity to leave. She suddenly had the idea to see if Hongli cared about her at all.
Hongli's harsh rejection of her, yet he always carried the sachet she had given him. What did this mean? It made Xueying want to test him again.
At this moment, Hongli's reaction finally put Xueying's mind at ease. Although he wasn't as overtly anxious as Hongzhou, the worry and panic in his eyes were genuine. Anyone could see that he was just as nervous as Hongzhou.
Hongli had a habit of rubbing his thumb against his index finger when he was nervous. As a prince who had been highly regarded since childhood, Hongli was strictly disciplined by both Emperor Kangxi and the Fourth Prince, who instructed him not to reveal his emotions or state of mind in front of others. Therefore, Hongli remained very calm at this moment; although only thirteen or fourteen years old, he was remarkably mature and composed in his dealings with others.
However, he has a little habit: when he is nervous or anxious, he will unconsciously furrow his left eyebrow. Xueying discovered this little habit when they were at the Yuanmingyuan.
Looking at Hongli's furrowed left brow, Xueying became even more certain that her guess was correct. Hongli did have feelings for her!
Perhaps only this ancient tree knows the smile that curls up beneath the mask...
"Fourth Brother, I'll go back and bring people to search. Even if we have to turn Jinan upside down, we'll find Xueying..." Hongzhou was clearly very anxious. He only wanted to find Xueying. After saying that, he prepared to go back.
Hongli pulled Zuanzhou aside: "That's not advisable. Not many people know she's a woman, so she's relatively safe. But if her identity is exposed, it could bring disaster. Besides, we have imperial orders to carry out..."
"Fourth Brother..." Hongzhou emphasized, he didn't believe Hongli valued the imperial decree more than Xueying's life. "But Xueying is a young girl, I must find her..."
“Hongzhou, calm down. Think about it. She’s the daughter of the Duke of Yingguo and the niece of the Fourth Prince’s wife. She won’t get into trouble so easily. Maybe she got separated from us in the crowd and will find her way back later. Even if she can’t find us, she’ll know to go back to the post station,” Hongli said, trying to remain calm.
"Fourth Brother..." Hongzhou was anxious, but what Hongli said was not wrong.
Xueying was deeply moved. Hongzhou was devoted to her, his pure heart as clear as the sun and moon. Could it be that she had already given her heart to Hongli? Could it be that her father and aunt believed that only Hongli could achieve great things and were teaching Xueying to get close to Hongli and win his heart? She feared that she had already been moved by Hongzhou's unwavering devotion.
Xueying removed her mask and slowly squeezed into the crowd once again, walking towards Hongli and Hongzhou.
"Xueying..." Hongli saw Xueying at a glance, and the worry on his face immediately disappeared. He breathed a sigh of relief, but he immediately returned to his original appearance. The change was so fast that no one noticed.
Hongzhou turned around in surprise and saw Xueying had returned safely. He immediately ran over, grabbed Xueying's hand, and carefully checked her for any injuries.
“Xueying, that’s wonderful…” Hongzhou couldn’t help but say.
"Xueying, where did you go? How did you disappear in the blink of an eye?" Hongli asked, suppressing his emotions.
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