As he spoke, he couldn't help but raise his arms, as if he was certain that his offer was so tempting that Li Shiyue wouldn't refuse.
A soft sneer reached her ears, and Li Shiyue understood Xu Yunci's meaning. To be honest, even without the title of Princess of Yichang, she still coveted the position of Princess Consort of Yan.
Perhaps the position of a first-rank imperial consort is indeed more prestigious than that of an ordinary noblewoman, but she truly doesn't care. If she did care, she should have agreed to become the emperor's adopted daughter long ago.
Li Shiyue's indifference was undisguised. She stood beside Xu Yunci with her hands in front of her, the veil on her face lifted to the sides, subtly obscuring her profile.
The faint smile at the corners of her mouth clearly indicated that she didn't take Qin Ying's words very seriously. Xu Yunci stood beside her, slightly taller than her, but their smiles were identical.
"Today, I was invited by the Prince to try and win over the Xu family's daughters to slander the Xu family in front of them. The Prince is really being dishonest."
Qin Ying's eyes held a hint of provocation: "The Xu family's daughter? The county princess now lives in the Duke's mansion, but she's just a cousin. Does the Xu family really consider a woman from another family as one of their own?"
His words were meant to provoke, but unfortunately, his tactic was ineffective.
Li Shiyue's expression remained unchanged, while Xu Yunci's smile grew even wider, seemingly answering Qin Ying's question silently.
There was silence for a moment, but the two stood together, their attitudes clearly and tacitly understood each other.
Xu Yunci slightly raised his eyes, his cold gaze carrying a hint of impending storm: "If Your Highness insists on this, and if Yan Yan suffers any harm or injustice in the future, then the Xu family will pin everything on Your Highness, regardless of whether it was Your Highness who did it."
“Since Yan Yan has come to the Xu family, she is naturally a member of the Xu family. If Your Highness wants the Xu family to be disrespectful, I will naturally not stand idly by.”
Having said that, his cold gaze swept lightly over Qin Ying's hands, lingering on the pink scars on the back of his hands. A half-smile played on his lips, and his eyes held a warning, making his attitude clear.
Qin Ying had revealed his thoughts without reservation, and had completely broken ties with Chonghua Palace. Now that things had come to this, there was no need to leave any room for maneuver. Offering his face up to be trampled on was not Xu Yunci's usual style.
Li Shiyue turned to look at Xu Yunci's profile. She had said what she wanted to say and didn't want to stay here to listen to Qin Ying's nonsense anymore.
Although Xu Yunci wasn't looking at her, he turned his head almost instantly and looked at her reassuringly. He only glanced at Qin Ying, then raised his hand to put down Li Shiyue's veil, grabbed her hem, and walked out.
If Qin Ying remains obstinate, there is no need to stay and discuss further.
A carriage was parked outside the gate of Guanqing Xiaoyuan, without even a sign, keeping a low profile.
However, Xu Yunci seemed unfazed by this, and Chang Shun, who was guarding the door, immediately came to greet him.
Tao Yue followed Chang Shun and helped Li Shiyue down from the carriage. Li Shiyue looked at the ordinary carriage with suspicion. Was someone really coming to Xu Yunci's villa at this hour?
"You go back with Taoyue first. If you can't stay here, let Taoyue take you around."
Xu Yunci's voice was cold, and his eyes were no longer as indifferent as when he faced Qin Ying in the restaurant.
Li Shiyue nodded, put on her veil and followed Taoyue into the house. Following the same route she had taken out, she quietly slipped away and returned to the side room in the small building.
Her figure gradually receded into the distance, finally coalescing into a small dot in the corridor, until she could no longer be seen. Only then did Xu Yunci finally withdraw his gaze.
Chang Shun, who was standing to the side, saw it all clearly but dared not utter a sound. He thought to himself: When did the young master start paying so much attention to Miss Biao? It seems he has discovered something of great importance.
Before she could even hide the surprise in her eyes, she heard Xu Yunci's cold voice from above: "What, are you happy?"
Chang Shun scratched his head: "No, sir. The young master returned just in time; Lord Guo has been here for a while now."
Xu Yunci didn't delay. He glanced at Chang Shun and strode off to the other side. The small building was a place to rest, while the study was located in the east wing of the main hall.
Inside the small annex, Xu Yunyao and Xu Yunxu kept a handsome young man company for a while. They were talking about something, and their hearty laughter could be faintly heard coming from inside the annex.
As Xu Yunci walked in, the handsome young man's eyes lit up, and he stood up to greet him: "Brother Lize."
"It was my fault for waiting so long." Xu Yunci cupped his hands in a gesture of politeness, and then sat back down with him.
"It seems that Guo Shaoqing has met my two younger brothers. It is my fault for keeping you waiting for so long."
Guo Xun and Xu Yunci took the imperial examination in the same year, and Guo Xun is now the Vice Minister of the Court of Judicial Review. Although he came from a humble background, he was an honest and upright official, and was quite well-known in the capital.
He had a kind face, and when he smiled, he even had a pair of dimples, making him look like an extremely honest and kind person.
"It was my presumptuousness to disturb you; it was my fault. There is something that cannot be delayed."
Xu Yunci nodded: "Huai Zhong came for the Earl of Yunyang, right?"
Guo Xun suppressed his smile, his expression turning serious: "Yesterday, the Prince of Yan's men came to me, roughly meaning that they wanted to move the Earl of Yunyang from the Jingzhao Prefecture to the Ministry of Justice."
"The Minister of the Court of Judicial Review is a man of the Prince of Yan. He is merely trying to win me over, and his words implied the Chonghua Palace. Although I come from a humble background and do not understand the intricacies between aristocratic families, I do understand the importance of loyalty to the emperor."
"The Crown Prince is His Highness's most trusted person and a favorite of the Emperor. I dare not lie about this matter. Since it involves the Chonghua Palace, it involves the foundation of the nation. I would never dare to delay."
Xu Yunci rested one hand on the side of the chair, his thumb stroking the jade thumb ring, lost in thought: "What does Huai Zhong mean?"
Guo Xun's eyes were resolute as he rose and bowed: "This humble official is devoted to serving the emperor and serving him faithfully. The crown prince has been chosen. His Majesty is benevolent and kind, and His Highness is courageous and resolute. They are the only suitable candidates for crown prince."
"The emperor is benevolent and loves the people. During his years in office, I have never heard of any civil unrest in any place."
"It is precisely because the Emperor is benevolent and loves the people that those people did what happened in Huayuan County. Your Highness is benevolent yet courageous, and did not act blindly. This is the kind of crown prince that both officials and the people need."
Guo Xun chuckled: "If anyone dares to undermine the foundation of the nation, I really can't think of anyone more suitable than Your Highness."
This was a clear statement of their stance. Xu Yunyao and the other man fell silent, watching without saying a word.
In fact, Xu Yunci had long admired Guo Xun and had been looking for an opportunity, but he never expected that Guo Xun would come to him on his own.
"I have my own way of dealing with the matter of the Earl of Yunyang. Huai Zhong only needs to do what he should do and doesn't need to pay attention to the Prince of Yan."
He did have his own plans, but what pleased him even more was that Li Shiyue hadn't asked about it at all on the way back, showing that she truly believed in him.
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