Yang Ke naturally picked up the conversation, pulled Chang An directly into the private room, and said loudly before closing the door: "Chang An, look at your young master. Why is he so clingy after getting married? My Eleventh Sister wanted to go sightseeing with the County Princess, but you, Second Brother, took up all her time."
"It's just a simple outing for tea, yet you have to bring your sister-in-law along. Doesn't she find you annoying?"
Before she could finish speaking, Yang Ke's rambling voice was cut off by the closed door.
The men downstairs circled around a few times before leaving and exiting the teahouse.
Chang An closed the door tightly, a visibly relieved look on his face: "Your Highness, please forgive me. I was almost caught, but thankfully Your Highness reacted quickly."
When Yang Ke was mentioned, he waved his hand and said, "Oh, it was nothing, just a small favor."
But his personality still made him unable to suppress a slight hint of pride in his expression.
"But second brother, have you offended someone? It shouldn't be like this. Who would dare to go against you? It would be your cousin His Highness. Who could it be?"
Yang Ke looked curious, but there was also a hint of fear in his eyes about getting into trouble. Perhaps he was more afraid of being chased and beaten by Cheng En Gong when he got home.
His eyes blinked wide, and he covered his mouth with one hand. He glanced at the silent Li Shiyue, a glimmer of light just beginning to appear in his eyes.
Suddenly, Li Shiyue's figure was blocked by Xu Yunci. Meeting his warning gaze, before Yang Ke could speak, Xu Yunci had already spoken first: "Don't use your muddled brain to think nonsense."
Yang Ke scratched his nose awkwardly. How could anyone have guessed that he was thinking someone was trying to steal his sister-in-law? Xu Erge is still so shrewd.
"I still have to thank you. I saw some people acting suspiciously just now. My cousin was worried about the safety of the capital and asked Chang'an to inquire about them, but he didn't expect there to be so many of them."
Li Shiyue stepped forward and gently tugged at Xu Yunci's sleeve: "I'll go straight back to the manor in a bit. You can go to the Jingzhao Prefecture with Prince Yang and settle things first."
"I'll take you back first, then I'll go to the Jingzhao Prefecture."
Li Shiyue couldn't dissuade him, so she stood in front of the Duke's mansion, looking back at the carriage that was turning back, feeling both worried and happy.
Upon entering the mansion gate, I realized it was already quite late. It was already late when I left the teahouse, and on the way back, as I entered the mansion gate, the sky above my head gradually darkened.
After a busy day, exhaustion finally set in.
When Xu Yunci returned to the mansion, Li Shiyue was even leaning against the wooden couch, half asleep.
It was a warm time of year, and he wore a pink undergarment and trousers with a jacket over them, an open book resting on his lap.
Her wrists were very slender, with fair skin that would often turn red when touched. At this moment, her wrists were slightly turned outward, her eyes were closed, her breathing was even, and the thin fabric covering her chest was covered by a cross-collar.
Xu Yunci slightly raised his hand, and Chunling and the others understood and put down what they were holding, quickly retreating and closing the door behind them.
The copper basin was filled with clear water, reflecting Xu Yunci's profile. His eyes became even more profound as he walked to the wooden bed and leaned down slightly.
He slipped his hands between her waist and legs very gently, causing her to hold her breath for a moment.
He gently placed her on the wooden couch, then covered her with a robe, which he had tailored to Li Shiyue's figure. The robe seemed a little thin in his hands, so he set it aside and tidied up the scrolls on the couch.
The moonlight had already hung high on the branches, and there seemed to be the sound of rippling water. She opened her eyes groggily and turned her head to see Xu Yunci walking out from behind the screen.
His white undershirt was unfastened, revealing his muscular chest, but his waist was very slender.
Water was still dripping from the ends of his hair. Looking at Li Shiyue lying on the bed, her eyes were open, and her head was turned to face him. Perhaps because she had just opened her eyes, the confusion in them was like that of a bewildered child.
Xu Yunci's heart softened, and he walked over, sat down in front of the bed, and leaned down.
The familiar warmth on her forehead brought Li Shiyue back to her senses, and she instinctively grasped his thumb.
"When did you get back?"
Xu Yunci had just taken a bath, and her body had a faint fragrance and a dampness from the water, especially since water droplets were still dripping from the ends of her hair.
He swallowed hard, his gaze moving from Li Shiyue's forehead to the tip of her nose, her lips... and down to the collar of her dress that rose and fell with her breath.
"I haven't been back long. I saw you were sleeping soundly, so I didn't wake you. I was planning to take a shower and then come back to hold you while we slept. I didn't expect you to wake up."
Li Shiyue sat up, knelt on the inside of the bed, crawled over two steps, took the hair from his hands, and slowly wiped his hair.
Xu Yunci seemed to be enjoying himself very much; he closed his eyes and the corners of his mouth remained turned up.
"You're back rather late. Has everything been resolved? You seem to be in a good mood."
Afraid of hurting him, Li Shiyue moved very gently, lightly rubbing his dripping hair dry.
"I'm in a good mood because I came back and saw you. The way you looked at me just now was just like those two rabbits you used to keep, innocently confused, and so easy to fool."
Xu Yunci sighed, took her hand, and made her sit next to him.
“That person is indeed the Earl of Changping, and I guess the other person is the King of Zhao.”
“King Zhao? How could it be King Zhao? Could it be—” Li Shiyue stopped abruptly halfway through her sentence. Although she didn’t finish the sentence, Xu Yunci understood what she meant.
"The reason I believe it is the Prince of Zhao is because Consort Fu asked the Emperor for permission to adopt the Prince of Zhao and register him under her name."
"Yang Ke and I had just entered the Jingzhao Prefecture when His Highness's men brought this news, so I guess the person meeting with the Earl of Changping should be the Prince of Zhao, or possibly someone related to the Prince of Zhao."
Li Shiyue's expression gradually became more serious as she looked up at Xu Yunci: "But Consort An, the birth mother of Prince Zhao, is still alive. Didn't His Majesty intend to promote Consort An to a higher rank?"
The four first-rank imperial concubines were, in order, Noble, Virtuous, Wise, and Honorable. Over the years, only Noble Consort Fu had received the Emperor's greatest favor. The prince born to Noble Consort Fu died young, and the childbirth had taken a toll on her health. She passed away a few years earlier, and the Emperor bestowed upon her a posthumous title.
Only the two consorts, Xian and De, have never had a consort. Even when Qin Ying was still the Prince of Yan, his birth mother was promoted to the rank of consort, but she was only a Shun Consort, which was not as prestigious as the four first-rank consorts.
Consort An was different. It seemed that the Emperor had noticed her, as there had been word that he intended to promote her to one of the two virtuous consorts.
This is why Li Shiyue was so puzzled and confused. Although she was not very familiar with the rules of the palace, it was not appropriate for Consort Fu to adopt a prince of the same rank if Consort An was promoted to the rank of Virtuous Consort or Consort De.
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