Even though Xue Lin looked at Xiao Yunya like this, she didn't say anything. Xue Lin pouted her lips, sat in her seat, and occasionally glanced in the direction of He Huanhuan.

The banquet was halfway through, and the effects of the medicine in He Huanhuan's body began to take effect. Mu Yuying apologized to the Empress with a worried look on her face, and helped her walk to the palace not far away where the female family members rested.

Xiao Yunya looked at them from a distance and was not prepared to take any action. Xue Lin, however, was a little restless. She looked at Xiao Yunya who was sitting there calmly and whispered:

"Yun Ya, aren't we going to help her?"

Xue Lin was really a little uneasy. If she didn't see it, it would be fine. But after witnessing the whole process, she really couldn't just ignore it. Xiao Yunya looked at the sincerity in Xue Lin's eyes and sighed slightly.

"That's the daughter of the Duke of Yue, the niece of the Empress. Sister Xue, do you want to confront her head-on and bring trouble to the family?"

Xiao Yunya knew Xue Lin quite well. She was simple, even a little stupid, and easily impulsive, but she was not a bad person. She was sincere to those who were not interested in Xiao Yunyan. She was the only one among all the girls in Beijing who admired the eldest brother who was devoted to him.

Xiao Yunya was helpless. Madam Xue was such a shrewd person, but she raised a daughter with such a temper. She didn't know whether it was a good thing or a bad thing.

But it has nothing to do with her now, she reminded Xue Lin, but considering their past friendship, if Xue Lin really wanted to go she would not be able to stop her.

Seeing Xue Lin hesitate, Xiao Yunya turned her attention back to the unoriginal songs and dances. When the show was about to end, Xiao Yunya sat in her seat bored, and suddenly saw a figure heading in the direction where He Huanhuan had just left, and her eyes suddenly darkened.

She raised her head and looked across, only to find that the person who looked 80% like the figure was not there, and then she frowned slightly. Across from her was the men's table, and she had no way of passing on the message, so she could only quietly leave the table and follow the figure.

When they arrived outside the hall, the figure disappeared. Xiao Yunya felt something was wrong and frowned. She was about to leave, but when she turned around, she bumped into someone and her body fell backwards uncontrollably. Unexpectedly, she did not fall to the ground as she thought, but fell into a cold embrace.

"Who is Miss Xiao looking for?"

The man's voice was hoarse and a little drunk, and although he caught Xiao Yunya, he let go of her arm after she stood firm, without overstepping the mark.

Under the moonlight, his jet-black hair fluttered gently in the wind, his charming face, his half-smile, his every move revealed his natural nobility. Especially when he was stared at by those deep eyes, Xiao Yunya's heart couldn't help but tremble. Her intuition told her that this man was too dangerous and she couldn't help but want to escape.

"My Lord."

Xiao Yunya calmed herself down, lowered her eyes, and found that Prince An was still staring at her. She became nervous involuntarily.

"Miss He came here to rest just now. I saw a man coming and was afraid that he would disrupt today's palace banquet."

Xiao Yunya felt a little regretful. After she found out that the person who came over might be Prince An, she came over on impulse. Now think about it, Prince An was able to keep An Ning at the border, and was highly respected by his eldest brother, so how could he not notice that there was an extra person in the room?

"So, Miss Xiao Er thought I was the thief who stole the beauty and jade? I thought Miss Xiao Er came to see me, but it seems I was just being sentimental."

Prince An looked at Xiao Yunya with a half-smile, his beautiful eyes full of teasing, and Xiao Yunya was speechless. Could she tell Prince An that she was afraid that someone was deliberately plotting against him? Although she didn't understand what this feeling meant, she could only comfort herself that if Prince An got into trouble, her elder brother would definitely have to work hard again.

"How could a man like your majesty do such a shameless thing? Perhaps I drank too much and my eyes are blurry."

"Then I will assume that Miss Xiao came to look for me on purpose. I never thought that you would care about me so much."

Xiao Yunya lowered her head, unable to see the incomprehensible changes in Prince An's eyes, and continued:

"The palace banquet is about to end, so I will go back first. I apologize for bothering you today, Your Highness. Please forgive me."

Prince An smiled, making his face look even more charming.

"Miss Xiao, please."

Xiao Yunya heaved a sigh of relief. Prince An never played by the rules. She was worried that even with her eldest brother's face, he wouldn't let it go so easily. Fortunately...

"I heard that Miss Xiao's marriage has fallen through?"

Xiao Yunya had just raised her feet to leave when she was pinned to the spot by Prince An's words. Emotions such as embarrassment and anger surged up in her mind, and in the end, she only uttered the word "yes".

"Although there are many rumors in the capital, I think it is a good idea to call off the marriage. Miss Xiao is a rare beauty, how can such a waste be worthy of her?"

Xiao Yunya did not respond, but bowed to Prince An and left. Facing the bright moonlight, the girl's sleeves fluttered, her hair flew in the wind, and she looked like a fairy from the Yaochi Lake, making everyone unable to take their eyes off her.

Prince An restrained his smile as he watched her leave. His eyes were fixed on Xiao Yunya's back, revealing a frightening light in his eyes.

Prince An took out the treasured silver bell from his arms and rubbed it carefully, revealing a rare softness. If it weren't for a coincidence, he would have died without knowing the owner of the bell, the person who had made him look for so many years without a trace.

It was his fault that he had only known Pei Lingfeng for a short time. If he hadn't seen the same bell in his possession, he wouldn't have known that the two daughters of the Xiao family had one each. Pei Lingfeng's bell was naturally his wife Xiao Yunrou's, and the one in his hand was Xiao Yunya's.

Fortunately, it was not too late and she had not yet married into the Zheng family. As for the Ruan family, they were already extremely evil and it was just right to use them to ruin her marriage with the Zheng family.

"Heh, in this world, there is nothing that I cannot obtain, except what I do not want..."

The door next to her suddenly opened, and He Huanhuan walked out with a red face. When she saw Prince An, her face turned even redder. Thinking that it was Prince An who had sent someone to rescue her just now, she firmly believed that Prince An was the man she would entrust her life to.

"Your Highness." He Huanhuan called out in a tender voice, causing Prince An to frown.

The same two words, when He Huanhuan shouted them out, made him feel disgusted. He put the bell in his arms without leaving any trace, and said lightly:

"Since you have nothing to do, hurry up and leave."

He Huanhuan was stunned by Prince An's cold attitude, and said unwillingly:

"Thank you so much, Prince, for saving me. I wonder when you will be free. I would like to ask you to..."

"I'm busy." Prince An interrupted He Huanhuan impatiently and sneered.

"Put away your little thoughts. If you continue to entangle me, even my brother can't protect you. Just be a good girl of the He family and don't waste my rare kindness."

If the Jiangnan matter had not been resolved and the He family was still useful, why would he waste his time on this incomprehensible woman?

Prince An didn't even bother to glance at He Huanhuan. He turned around and left, leaving her alone standing in front of the door with a constantly changing expression. Her nails dug into her flesh. She stared at Prince An's back, her eyes full of ambition and obsession.

When the show was over, Mu Yuying was very surprised to see He Huanhuan appear in front of her unharmed. She had just arranged for someone to lead Prince An to the side hall to prove the crime of seducing Prince An, but why was she still fine?

Mu Yuying was very anxious. Seeing that her people had not returned yet, she felt that the man must have been controlled. If it was Prince An...

Mu Yuying shuddered and hurriedly stopped the thought. Seeing He Huanhuan walking towards her, she was too lazy to even pretend and just followed the people from the Yueguo Mansion and left.

In front of the palace gate, Pei Lingfeng gave up riding a horse and got on Xiao Yunrou's carriage instead. He held Xiao Yunrou's hand, which was very cold, and frowned as he took off his coat and put it on her.

"Go back and ask Madam Su to make some ginger soup for you to drink, so you won't get sick."

Xiao Yunrou smiled lightly, didn't say anything pretentious, and nodded in agreement.

"In a couple of days, invite Mrs. He and Miss He to be your guests, or invite one or two other ladies and girls you know well to come over."

Xiao Yunrou was stunned. Pei Lingfeng never interfered in the affairs of the backyard and seldom asked about the interpersonal relationships in the mansion. But this time, he asked her to invite the He family, which made her think a little more.

"What do you want me to say if you invite me to come over?"

Pei Lingfeng shook his head, wrapped Xiao Yunrou's hand in his palm and said nonchalantly:

“No need.”

Seeing Xiao Yunrou's doubts, Pei Lingfeng, who didn't want to explain any more, said:

"The He family wants to change from being a merchant to an official and surrender to Prince An. The emperor also wants the money of these wealthy merchants. You are only inviting them to take the lead in the circle of nobles in the capital. With the emperor's intention, other families will also invite them one by one."

Xiao Yunrou understood that this was a big pie in the sky for the He family, telling them "If you give money, the emperor will support you, so quickly let other businesses see your current status."

"Okay, I'll post after I'm done with these two days."

Xiao Yunrou didn't like to get along with the mother and daughter of the He family who were always so arrogant as to take advantage of the situation. Just now at the banquet, Mrs. He kept shouting about how precious the furnishings in her house were and how luxurious her daily food and clothing were. It gave her a headache.

The He family was rich, but how could they have the foundation of a real aristocratic family? They boasted in front of so many real noble ladies and daughters, and many people secretly laughed at them.

"After you finish the banquet, let's take the two children to live in the manor for a few days. Liufeng said today that the scenery of Yannan Mountain is very beautiful. I have a manor at the foot of the mountain. There is also a hot spring in the manor. Let's go there."

Xiao Yunrou became interested when she heard this. Now that the situation was stable and the backyard of the marquis's mansion was peaceful, it was time to relax after working so hard for so long.

Xiao Yunrou smiled with her eyes narrowed, looking very happy. Pei Lingfeng saw that she was getting happier. He reached out and held her in his arms, bit her lips gently, and smiled softly:

"You are so happy, you must serve your husband well tonight, okay?"

Pei Lingfeng looked at Xiao Yunrou, who nodded slightly with a blush on her face, and hugged her tighter. He had been busy in the study since returning from Jiangnan, and now that he had finally finished the matter, he should get the benefits he deserved from his beloved wife.

That night, the candles in Derou Garden flickered until the late night, and the lights were extinguished only when Xiao Yunrou fell into a deep sleep from exhaustion.