Compared to Li Shiyue's still-unconcealed surprise, Xie Yizhi, standing with his hands behind his back in the corridor facing her, appeared much calmer.
Xie Yizhi was not much different from Xu Yunci, but the style of his clothes was simpler than what Xu Yunci usually wore. Even today he was wearing a royal blue and cloud gray clean Hangzhou silk round-necked robe. His skin was fair, and standing in the corridor, he was able to block the sunlight from his head.
A cool breeze blew by, just enough to stir a strand of hair at Li Shiyue's temple. As she lowered her eyes, that strand of hair floated in front of her.
Xie Yizhi's pupils dilated for a moment, the gray down on his neck obscuring his reddened earlobes, and he awkwardly raised his hand, clenched it into a fist, and coughed twice in front of his lips.
"That maid is from the palace, are you just going to let it go like that?"
When Xie Yizhi raised his head again, his face showed more seriousness. Only he knew the shyness hidden in his heart that belonged only to a young man.
He seemed to have discovered a strange emotion within himself. Whenever he saw the person in front of him, he would be drawn to move along with that person, and this strange emotion made him feel somewhat uneasy.
"You saw it all?" Li Shiyue's surprise was evident in the corners of her eyes. But thinking about it, it made sense. Maybe someone would have passed by in the corridor, so it was normal for them to have seen it.
Of the palace maids, only Princess Chunhui and the three princes accompanied her to the mansion today. Why would His Highness the Crown Prince harm her? With the Crown Princess's connection, Prince Yan and Prince Zhao have no reason to. Even if Prince Yan had feelings for her, he couldn't possibly take her life because of "love."
Based on this calculation, Princess Chunhui was the only one she was most uncertain about, since she gradually calmed down after returning to Qingji Hall.
The maid's face seemed familiar, until Xie Yizhi mentioned the palace, and she suddenly remembered that she seemed to have seen the maid with Princess Chunhui before.
Her heart sank, and her expression turned serious. Li Shiyue sighed softly, never expecting that someone as insignificant as herself would provoke a princess to plot against her on the Xu family's territory.
I will get you an explanation.
Xu Yunci's deep voice rang in her ears. His words were like a calming pill, as if they had been swallowed down her throat and slid all the way to her heart, gradually soothing the restlessness and fear in her heart.
Xie Yizhi appeared calm, but upon closer inspection, it was not difficult to see that there was still a hint of worry in his eyes.
"What do you plan to do about this? I can help you."
Li Shiyue looked up, slightly surprised. She didn't think she was very familiar with Xie Yizhi. At least in the days since Xie Yizhi entered the manor, he had been accompanied by his cousins. Only occasionally would she, Xu Lingzi, and Xu Lingqing accompany him. Most of the time, except in front of Old Madam Xu, they rarely saw each other.
This matter is neither a big deal nor a small one. If it is not handled properly, it will inevitably cause him to lose face in front of the officials, and may even implicate his family.
But he didn't seem to be faking it; his expression was sincere, as if he were talking about something important that would make him decide to take action. This feeling washed over Li Shiyue, and she subconsciously wanted to step back. But then she realized that it might not be a good idea, so she suppressed her slight discomfort and didn't move.
Reactions don't lie. Xie Yizhi saw this and was about to say something more when Li Shiyue spoke first: "My cousin said he would give me an explanation for this matter. I think my cousin has a very good solution. If others get involved, it will cause him trouble."
“Since he is a person in the palace, I am just a county princess in name only, and I don’t have any real power. I still believe in my cousin’s ability.”
Xie Yizhi frowned, and it took him a long time to realize that the "cousin" Li Shiyue was referring to was Xu Yunci.
Suddenly, memories of his time at the Duke's mansion surfaced in his mind. It seemed that Li Shiyue always called Xu Yunci "cousin," while Xu Yunyao and the others were addressed by their family order plus "cousin," and he was addressed as "cousin Xie."
The word "cousin" seemed to have always been reserved for Xu Yunci in Li Shiyue's eyes.
For some reason, Xie Yizhi suddenly remembered the conversation he had overheard between the two young men in the corridor before the banquet began. Wasn't that about Li Shiyue's marriage to the Xu family's young man?
"Will you marry him, Xu Yunci?"
When Xie Yizhi realized what was happening, he had already asked the question in his mind. Just as he was about to say "sorry," he suddenly saw the blank look on Li Shiyue's face, and then he seemed to feel disgust in her eyes. He took a few steps back, and even his gaze carried a hint of displeasure.
He swallowed hard, knowing full well he'd said the wrong thing. Would she think he was a very unruly person, or... would she hate him for asking that question?
It has to be said that he guessed right. Li Shiyue suppressed her anger and forced down her throat: "What do you mean by marrying or not marrying? Cousin Xie, have you heard any rumors? If not, don't make baseless accusations and ruin my and your reputation."
"I would like to thank my cousin for his concern. Please do not make this public for now. I will not disturb you any longer. Goodbye."
As soon as she finished speaking, she had already passed by Xie Yizhi, as if some enormous creature was chasing her from behind. The pearl on the embroidered shoes under her skirt had already revealed half of her small face through the fluttering skirt.
Sunlight shone, and the pearl on the toe of the shoe emitted a dazzling beam of light, like Li Shiyue, who had turned her back on him but was still trying to suppress her anger. Xie Yizhi stared in disbelief, even forgetting to chase after her.
When he looked back, Li Shiyue was nowhere to be seen. He couldn't help but feel regretful. What was wrong with him? It seemed like he had been paying too much attention to this cousin ever since he entered the mansion.
"My lord."
The servant behind him looked worriedly towards the end of the corridor, the direction Li Shiyue had left in. He glanced at it and then looked away, saying, "Young master, as we enter the capital, has the eldest young master given us important instructions?"
Xie Yizhi closed his eyes, his heaving chest gradually calming down: "I know."
The servant sighed inwardly, but forced himself to say, "Today is the best opportunity. If we wait any longer, it will be difficult to make contact with the King of Zhao's people."
"Don't rush things. The Prince of Zhao hasn't shown up yet. Didn't you see that there's tension between the people of Chonghua Palace and the Prince of Yan? Before seeing the Prince of Zhao, the Prince of Yan wanted to see me." Xie Yizhi snorted coldly, his lively demeanor completely gone.
"Since the Prince of Yan is so eager to prove his ability, let's go see him first."
The servant behind him wanted to say something, but seeing that Xie Yizhi had already started walking, the servant's lips moved but he didn't say anything and could only follow.
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