Hearing him say that, Chen Xiao understood what Xu Ruyu meant, so she asked directly, "When did you find out that I... had amnesia?"
Xu Ruyu's guess was confirmed. He sighed and said, "When I first saw you during the selection of concubines, your eyes only showed unfamiliarity. Later... when it was time to 'serve the emperor,' I tested you, and you showed nothing but reluctance and nervousness. I then understood that something must have happened to you to cause this. Your Majesty, what has come to mind?"
Xu Ruyu first gave a brief explanation of the reason, but in the end, she still asked a question, unwilling to give up.
Unfortunately, Chen Xiao was going to disappoint him.
She was only thinking about the night she was supposed to "serve him in bed." Although she was nervous, she wasn't unwilling at all. At the time, she thought Xu Ruyu was a two-dimensional character, so she thought it wouldn't be a big deal to sleep with a handsome guy. She never expected that the handsome guy was a real person...
Looking at Xu Ruyu's gentle beauty, she replied, "No, it was Yuanyin who told me about my amnesia. I still can't remember what happened back then; the earliest memory I have is of the day before my coronation."
The word "no" not only answers Xu Ruyu's last question, but also indirectly answers the misunderstanding of "unwillingness".
Chen Xiao didn't hide anything from him. Instead, she omitted the mission details and told him everything about her memories of the past month or so.
Unexpectedly, as soon as she said this, she saw the expectation in Xu Ruyu's eyes disappear, and in a daze, she seemed to hear the sound of something breaking.
Xu Ruyu's behavior made it seem as if she had been seduced and abandoned by this scumbag woman. Chen Xiao felt a little uneasy. Did she and Xu Ruyu talk about something before she ascended the throne?
Chen Xiao's guess was correct. Indeed, the two had met at the teahouse before that, and Chen Xiao had mentioned that he might be ascending the throne soon, and that some things might happen then, so he shouldn't worry about it.
He didn't expect things to happen so quickly, leaving him helpless.
Even though more than a month has passed, he still has no solution to this problem.
Seeing that Chen Xiao was somewhat troubled, Xu Ruyu forced himself to calm down and comforted Chen Xiao, saying, "It's alright, as long as you're okay. You'll be having dinner with Lord Zhao later, so even if she finds out about your situation, she won't say anything."
After verbally comforting Chen Xiao, he also comforted himself, thinking that it was alright, since Xiao Xiao didn't remember anyone now, which was a good thing in a way.
That way they all start over, fairly and justly...
Chen Xiao had no idea what he was thinking. Hearing Xu Ruyu say that, he stopped thinking about it and, under Xu Ruyu's deliberate guidance, the two started talking about other topics.
The atmosphere was extremely harmonious.
---
As for the Zhao family, Xu Qian did not disbelieve as Xu Ruyu had thought; he did indeed go there in person.
Anyway, he had nothing to do in the mansion, and he felt very uncomfortable in front of so many young people, especially since his eldest son was still thinking about His Majesty.
In addition, he had just noticed something was wrong with his youngest son. His youngest son seemed to be overly enthusiastic towards the princess. He paid a rare attention and saw that the silly boy was secretly staring at the princess, and he saw the true feelings in his eyes.
He then realized that Xu Ruyan was in love with the princess.
The silly boy didn't even bother to hide it; it was so obvious, yet he only just noticed... So he quickly made an excuse to leave, not wanting to disturb the world of these young people.
Actually, Xu Qian didn't know. It's not that he only found out now, but because he used to stay at home all the time, busy with work and not caring about his two sons' private lives at all.
So he didn't know that Xu Ruyan liked Yuan Yin, nor did he know that Xu Ruyu liked Chen Xiao, and he was even more unaware that they often went out together as a couple.
With this urge to escape his home, he stood at the gate of the Zhao residence.
Perhaps Zhao Siyuan had made arrangements, because as soon as he appeared, someone came forward to greet him. The person bowed and said, "Greetings, Your Excellency! My master instructed me to wait here for someone from the Prime Minister's residence to deliver a message. Why have you come in person, Your Excellency!"
The man explained respectfully as he led Xu Qian inside.
Xu Qian looked at the man and knew his identity immediately. This must be the head steward of the Zhao family that Zhao Siyuan often boasted about in front of him. He was indeed very good. Just the fact that he 'couldn't write stories in his head' was enough to make him look worse than the head steward of his own household.
However, the matter of 'writing stories in one's mind' is nothing special; the head steward of his household is still quite excellent.
Xu Qian was led to the reception room by the Zhao family's steward and sat down. Then, in accordance with the usual etiquette for entertaining guests, he was served tea and snacks before the steward withdrew to inform Zhao Siyuan.
Xu Qian sat in the large reception room, recalling the unbearable memories of the past. He sighed almost imperceptibly, picked up his tea and took a small sip, silently praying that the person would not appear.
But he was ultimately disappointed. In the time it takes to drink half a cup of tea, the person he had been longing for appeared before him, or rather, right beside him.
Because the person had not arrived, but the voice had arrived first.
An extremely pleasant voice reached his ears, but the content was not so 'pleasant,' carrying a hint of ambiguity: "Oh, the Prime Minister has arrived, what a rare guest!"
Xu Qian looked up and saw that person appear before him.
The newcomer was a man, about the same age as Xu Qian. Like Xu Qian, his face showed no signs of aging; on the contrary, he appeared even more charming with the passage of time.
But clearly, he lacks composure and maturity.
The man was dressed in a dark blue robe with delicate embroidered patterns on the hem, which were faintly visible as he moved. He also wore an antique jade pendant at his waist and a black cloak that swayed gently in the breeze, exuding understated luxury and a free and easy demeanor.
But this person's behavior was not like that.
He smiled and sat down next to Xu Qian, seemingly unconcerned about Xu Qian's status. He was carefully examining Xu Qian before finally speaking up and complaining, "Your clothes are not good either. The Prime Minister is now a high-ranking official second only to the Emperor. Although you are quite old, why are you dressed so plainly?"
Xu Qian showed no anger upon hearing this, only a hint of helplessness in his eyes as he quietly looked at the man.
The man noticed his gaze but showed no fear. He quietly looked back at him, leaning back slightly in his chair, his hand still caressing a string of white jade beads.
When Zhao Siyuan arrived, this was the scene she witnessed.
She stood not far from the two of them, raising an eyebrow and watching them as if it were a show.
The man was the first to notice Zhao Siyuan's gaze. He paused slightly, slowly turned his head, and met Zhao Siyuan's eyes. The man's expression immediately softened, and he stood up to greet her.
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