Anai was startled and hurriedly turned her head, only to see a horse carriage slowly approaching from the entrance of the alley. A beautiful woman stepped out of the carriage. She was very beautiful.
Even more beautiful than their Eldest Miss, who entered the palace to become a concubine.
Anai was dumbfounded for a moment.
When Song Xi saw Ji Xinhe, he knew he had been tricked. His face became even more wrinkled: "When did you notice me?"
Shulan, who was following Xinhe, snorted softly: "I thought it was someone important, but it’s just a little kid."
Song Xi’s eyes widened: "You’re the little kid!"
Xinhe glanced at Shulan, who then closed her mouth awkwardly.
At this moment, Xinhe was also sizing up Song Xi. She was certain she didn’t know him. She had deliberately turned into this alley when she realized she was being followed, hoping to observe who the follower was. She was actually relieved to see that it was just a little kid. At least it wasn’t an assassin.
As long as it wasn’t an assassin, it was fine.
"Who are you?" Xinhe asked him without anger or delight, her voice clear and tranquil, without even a trace of interrogation.
Perhaps it was because he was a little kid, so she couldn’t help but be more tolerant of him.
Song Xi knew he had to play up his advantage as a child, so he blinked innocently, "I don’t know either. I followed a servant out shopping and got lost."
Xinhe looked down at him, her smile gentle, "Don’t think I’m easy to fool."
Song Xi: "······"
"If you don’t tell me today, I can’t guarantee you’ll be able to return home." Xinhe’s smile remained, but the undertones in her words were clearly threatening.
She had a hard time being hostile towards young children, especially such good-looking ones, but that didn’t mean she could tolerate being treated as a fool.
Seeing her smile, Song Xi shuddered. Why was it so unnerving even though such a beautiful young lady was smiling at him?
Song Xi scratched his head, "I... I saw you outside the examination hall by chance and thought you were beautiful, so I followed you for a while."
He couldn’t possibly tell the truth.
However, Xinhe’s smile faded and her gaze turned colder, "It seems like you’re from the capital city, judging from your accent."
Song Xi couldn’t help but feel nervous, "Yes, I came to visit my relatives here from the capital."
He hadn’t left the capital city in both his lives, so there was nothing he could do about the accent issue!
Was this woman too sensitive?
Xinhe nodded, "Ah, the capital is a great place indeed. I heard there’s a Song Family in the capital, and their Young Master got a serious illness in the palace and almost died. He was sent to Yu State, but I don’t know how he’s doing now."
Song Xi’s heart jolted, but he managed to maintain his composure on the surface. However, Anai beside him had a sudden change in expression.
Xinhe was genuinely surprised. She had tried to subtly probe the identity of the Song Family’s Young Master but hadn’t expected to hit the mark. The Young Master’s emotions seemed stable, but he didn’t look sickly at all.
Song Xi glared at Anai, clearly disappointed in her.
Anai hung her head in shame.
Xinhe chuckled, "So, it’s the Young Master of the Song Family. I apologize for not meeting you earlier."
Song Xi gritted his teeth, "I don’t recognize any Young Master of the Song Family."
"It doesn’t matter if you don’t recognize him. Since the Young Master came to follow me today, he must have a purpose. I’ll give you an opportunity to explain. Perhaps I can help you with something. If you don’t want to say anything, just forget it. Just know that the fact that the Young Master of the Song family is in good health might not be known to outsiders." Ji Xinhe spoke with a smile.
She couldn’t miss such an opportunity when it presented itself to her.
Song Xi’s eyes widened, another threat!
Only now did he truly realize his mistake: underestimating this woman. How could he ever have thought she would be easy to deal with?
He had never met such a cunning woman in his previous life!
In his twelve years of life experience, women were always trapped in secluded courtyards and never seen by outsiders. He didn’t expect to be reincarnated and immediately encounter such an outlier.
"Young Master Song, when you’ve made a decision, come to Guilin Residence. I’ll be waiting for you there." Xinhe smiled, the corners of her mouth curling.
After saying so, she turned around and boarded the horse carriage. 𝘧𝓇𝑒𝑒𝑤ℯ𝑏𝓃𝘰𝑣ℯ𝘭.𝘤ℴ𝘮
Song Xi watched the carriage slowly move away with a more somber expression on his little face.
Anai walked up sheepishly, "Little Young Master, do... do you still want to go?"
Song Xi quickly regained his composure and thought for a moment before finally nodding, "Let’s go!"
He had no intention of becoming enemies with Mu Houchu. He knew the strength of that man, even though he had only lived for twelve years in his previous life. Song Xi had witnessed Houchu’s rise to power.
At least from the perspective of his twelve-year-old self, there was no way he could stand against such a man. As for the future, that was something to be dealt with later, but it probably wouldn’t be enough time.
After all, in his previous life, it was Marquis Mu who emerged as the ultimate winner just six years later when he became the Emperor!
And the Song Family was nothing more than a chess piece that the current Emperor had cruelly abandoned and destroyed. At the age of twelve, he had died a tragic death, and the whole family had suffered a terrible fate.
In this life, all he wanted was to choose the right path, protect his family, and leave behind the dangerous road of the Emperor. That was one of the reasons he had come to Yu State this time.
But the only thing he doubted now was the appearance of this woman named Ji Xinhe, who seemed to have changed Mu Houchu’s resolve and the path he planned to take. In his previous life, Mu Houchu had never come to Yu State, and he had never given up his power as a minister. It was difficult to predict what would happen hereafter.
However, such hesitation only flashed through Song Xi’s mind for a second before he stopped thinking about it. He made a decisive move toward Guilin Residence.
In his previous life, a single leaf had blinded his eyes. He was too young and had never seen the situation clearly. He always believed that the Emperor should be the ultimate manipulator, which led to his downfall. In this life, having lived twice, he saw things more clearly. How could the current Emperor compare to someone like Mu Houchu?
Even if Mu Houchu had no interest in the competition, he would never lose. Why should he continue to risk his family to support such an incompetent and stupid monarch? Moreover, in the end, it was the Emperor’s suspicion that caused him to mercilessly eliminate the entire Song Family! With just this hatred alone, he knew what he had to choose.
At Guilin Residence.
Ji Xinhe had been waiting for a while.
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