Although Xin He appeared calm on the surface at this moment, her mind was filled with countless thoughts.
Facing Lady Ding’s appearance, she wasn’t as calm as she seemed. She thought of a lot of things - Princess Chaoyang reaching out to Yang Luo Bay, her deliberately bringing Lady Ding to provoke her, and what about Xiao Bei and big brother?
Would she make a move on them too?
At the thought of this, Xin He’s heart tightened, and her face turned pale.
It had been a month since she last heard from Xiao Bei, and she had no idea if anything had happened during that time. For the first time, she felt regret and helplessness. She planned and strategized in the capital city, but she couldn’t even protect her own family completely.
"Miss, Miss?" Shulan noticed that Xin He was lost in thought and called her a few times.
Xin He finally came back to her senses: "Hmm?"
Shulan handed over the tea cup in her hand, and awkwardly said: "Miss, your herbal tea."
At this moment, Xin He had no interest in drinking tea. Worries about Xiao Bei and big brother aside, she had a feeling that today’s banquet was not going to be simple - this was just the beginning...
Why hadn’t Consort Guifei arrived yet? Was there really something delaying her in the Palace, or did she have other plans?
The Shen Family was already against her, and now every move made by Consort Guifei seemed extraordinary. But Xin He had entered a tiger’s den alone and stumbled around helplessly. She needed to be even more cautious in the future.
"Miss, why are you lost in thought again? Is there something bothering you? Could it be... related to that woman?" Shulan tested the waters.
Xin He shook her head: "It’s okay. I’m just getting bored sitting here. Let’s take a walk around."
"Yes." Shulan nodded, quickly put down the teacup, and followed Xin He as she walked.
The Flower and Bird Terrace was exceptionally large, with flowers and birds all around. If they were here only for the banquet, it would be a very pleasant place to be.
But unfortunately...
Xin He looked up and suddenly saw a little boy running past the flower bushes nearby.
Xin He’s eyes flashed, murmuring: "Xiao Bei?"
Shulan was somewhat puzzled: "What’s wrong, Miss?"
Xin He immediately replied: "You wait here for me, I’ll be back soon." 𝓯𝙧𝓮𝓮𝒘𝓮𝙗𝙣𝒐𝒗𝒆𝓵.𝓬𝓸𝒎
She quickly followed the little boy’s footsteps.
Before Shulan could react, Xin He had already run off. Shulan anxiously called out: "Miss? Miss?!"
By this time, Xin He was nowhere to be seen. Shulan could only worry and wait in place as Xin He had instructed.
Xin He chased after the little boy, but she wasn’t familiar with the layout of the Princess’s residence, so she couldn’t run too fast.
It wasn’t until the boy ran into a courtyard that Xin He hurriedly followed suit and barely managed to catch up with him.
She grabbed his sleeve, pulling him around: "Xiao Bei?"
But the boy who turned around had a confused look on his face: "My name is not Xiao Bei."
Looking at the boy whose face resembled Xiao Bei’s by quite a bit, she suddenly had a flash of understanding in her mind.
Damn! She had fallen into a trap!
Xin He’s expression changed, her heart skipping a beat. Despite being careful, she panicked when she saw "Xiao Bei."
This boy must have deliberately led her into this courtyard!
There was no way she would believe it was a coincidence that there was a boy in the Princess’s residence who looked so much like Xiao Bei and happened to pass in front of her.
Not to mention that the boy was clearly very familiar with the layout of the Princess’s residence. He intentionally zigzagged while running earlier, making it difficult for her to catch up. If it weren’t for that, she would have caught him long before they reached this courtyard!
Xin He’s gaze turned slightly cold. She had been careless, her guard lowered because of her concern for Xiao Bei. She hadn’t given much thought to the situation while chasing, but now it was too late.
She had fallen into someone else’s carefully prepared trap.
Ha! It really was a Hongmen Banquet - one trap after another, not even giving her half a chance to catch her breath!
The little boy, seeing Xin He’s changing expression, didn’t know if he was scared or feeling guilty, but he hurriedly tried to run away, only to have Xin He suddenly cover his mouth and swiftly hide inside a room.
The boy, terrified and dumbfounded, tried to cry out, but Xin He blocked his mouth tightly.
Xin He glared at him: "If you dare to call out, I’ll throw you in the river to feed the fish!"
Whether it was because the boy was too young to withstand the threat or Xin He’s notorious reputation had frightened even the children, he didn’t dare to move. His eyes stared at her, full of terror.
Xin He was quite satisfied, and she lifted her lip, patting him on the head: "Good boy, tell me, were you sent by Princess Chaoyang?"
The little boy shook his head vigorously, his eyes full of caution: "I, I’m not! I don’t know anything!"
Xin He’s smile grew even brighter, but there was a faint hint of coldness in it: "Do you really think I won’t throw you into the lake to feed the fish?"
As Xin He spoke, she pushed open the window. This room was right over the lakeside, and looking out, the endless shimmering blue water could be seen. The boy’s face turned pale with fear.
"I, I, I..."
Xin He patted his head, smiling kindly: "I don’t want to hear the words ’I don’t know’."
The little boy shuddered all over, almost in tears: "It was Old Lady Wei from the princess’s side who asked me to do it! She said I just need to walk in front of you and then run to this courtyard to lead you here. After that, I just need to run away."
Who would have thought that Xin He could run so fast and actually catch up with him! Weren’t those boudoir daughters supposed to be delicate, panting after running just a few steps? It would be impressive enough if they could keep up with his pace, let alone catching him.
Nor did he expect Xin He to be so perceptive, immediately noticing that something was wrong. How could there be such a smart woman?
Now he was in trouble, having fallen into her hands, and he didn’t know what would happen next! The thought of it brought him close to tears.
Xin He asked coldly: "So, what did you bring me here for?"
The little boy shook his head vigorously, looking like a rattle drum: "I really don’t know! I’m just a small errand boy in the outer courtyard of the princess’s residence. How could I know the princess’s thoughts? I’ve never even seen her face! This time, it was Old Lady Wei who asked me to do this. I really don’t know anything!"
Xin He smiled, showing her bright white teeth, and grabbed the boy by his collar, looking out at the seemingly endless lakeside: "This lake looks nice. I wonder if the fish are fat or not."
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