"Prince?"
Yun Xi's expression froze. Her gaze fell on the sorrow - stricken face of the man, seemingly unmoved by the prince's arrival.
Yun Xi suddenly recalled that just now, Xiao He had said that he had read the letter a year later because he had been traveling. And the prince had been traveling for years and had only returned to the capital recently.
So it was not impossible for the two of them to have met.
She just never expected that the visitor would be the prince!
"Where is the prince now?"
Yun Xi stood up and looked at Hong Luo worriedly.
Suddenly, she remembered that her father was in a fit of rage. Even if the prince came, he might not get a good look.
To avoid unnecessary trouble, she had to find a way to solve this quickly!
"The prince is in the front hall, talking to the master."
Hong Luo reported truthfully, then hesitated and said,
"However, the master looks very angry and insists on having the guest escorted out..."
Hearing this, Yun Xi couldn't help taking a deep breath.
Although the prince was approachable and gentle, and not the kind of person who would bully others with his power, he was still the prince, the future heir of the Liu Kingdom!
If her father offended the prince by embarrassing him, there would be no good outcome in the future!
Yun Xi bit her lip and looked at Xiao He. She said simply and clearly,
"I know you have deep feelings for my mother, but she has passed away. There are still people who deliberately want to slander her. If you really care about my mother, could you please listen to me first?"
The news of Su Yun's death had hit Xiao He hard. And the fact that someone wanted to slander her reputation made him even angrier.
Looking at Yun Xi's face, which resembled Su Yun's, Xiao He nodded without hesitation.
"Yun was honest and upright all her life. I will never allow anyone to slander her!"
"Good!"
Yun Xi was relieved. She immediately told Xiao He her plan and analyzed the current situation for him. She told him that he might have to endure some grievances for the time being, but he should be patient.
Xiao He had no objections and promised to cooperate. Only then did Yun Xi hurry to the front hall with peace of mind.
Not long after she turned into the courtyard, she heard her father's cold and angry shout from afar:
"Even if you are the prince, you have no right to interfere in my family affairs! In the Prime Minister's Mansion, no one needs to teach me what to do! If you understand, please leave!"
Yun Xi frowned tightly.
It seemed that the prince would not be able to take Xiao He out of the mansion today!
She took a deep breath, lifted the cumbersome skirt with both hands, and quickly rushed to the front hall.
As soon as she entered the door, she heard the prince's unassuming, gentle and warm voice:
"Prime Minister, you misunderstood! I have no intention of interfering in your family affairs. If I have offended you, I sincerely apologize here."
"However, a promise must be kept. My friend just came to the capital and is unfamiliar with the place. Since I have promised to take good care of him, how can I go back on my word? Even if he wants to continue staying as a guest in the Prime Minister's Mansion, he should at least tell me in person."
Because he had seen Xiao He enter the Prime Minister's Mansion with his own eyes and never come out again, even if the mansion lied that Xiao He was not there, he would not leave.
Before, he had been extremely angry because of Xiao He. Now, seeing the prince's persistent entanglement, Yun Sheng's patience had run out.
Seeing her father's increasingly livid face and his eyes sweeping towards the sword on the shelf in the hall, Yun Xi's heart skipped a beat. To prevent her father from doing something irrational, she immediately rushed in and grabbed her father's arm that was about to be raised.
"Dad! I'm back!"
She pretended not to know what had happened in the hall. She leaned on her father's shoulder with a bright smile and chattered,
"Since Dad said last time that my calligraphy was weak and I needed to practice more, I have been working hard recently. I've copied many calligraphy models of contemporary masters. Today, I finally wrote a good piece! Even the female teacher in the academy praised my great progress!"
Yun Sheng was stunned. Disturbed by Yun Xi like this, his gloomy face gradually calmed down.
He looked at his daughter, sighed for a long time, and gently patted the top of her head.
"My daughter is really amazing!"
Then, his gaze turned to Qi Yu. Although his face was still gloomy, he said kindly,
"Your Highness, I still have something to do, so I won't see you off. Please..."
He didn't want his daughter to worry, but his determination remained unshaken.
Qi Yu's gaze swept towards Yun Xi. He wanted to say something but stopped. Yun Xi, on the other hand, seemed to have just seen him and quickly bowed.
"Ah, Your Highness is here too? I was so eager to show off to my father that I ignored you. Please forgive me!"
Qi Yu's encounters with Yun Xi were like this: the first time, she asked him for food; the second time, she straddled him and grabbed his neck; the third time, she slipped away in a hurry...
This was the first time she had treated him so politely. Qi Yu was surprised and then smiled.
"It's okay. You don't need to bow."
Compared to her politeness, he preferred her true - natured self before.
Yun Xi smiled and praised him greatly,
"Your Highness is really as gentle, approachable, and humble as the rumors say! You are not petty and won't argue with us!"
Yun Xi deliberately praised the prince for his generosity. If he used today's incident to embarrass her father, it would mean he was petty!
Of course, she would never admit such a little trick!
To prevent the prince from saying something that might anger her father again, Yun Xi quickly took the opportunity to say,
"How about this? To show my apology, I'll see Your Highness out of the mansion!"
Qi Yu hesitated and was about to say something when Yun Xi smiled obsequiously and said,
"I hope Your Highness will give me a chance to atone for my mistake! Otherwise, I'll be restless day and night!"
On the way, Yun Xi didn't forget to turn her head and look at Yun Sheng, who still had a gloomy face.
Yun Sheng nodded, giving his silent approval.
"Dad has agreed. Let's go?"
Yun Xi smiled sweetly, tilted her head to look at Qi Yu, her black eyes shining with expectation.
Looking at Yun Xi like this, Qi Yu suddenly felt a bit helpless. He didn't know how to say no to her.
He had no choice but to compromise.
After they left the front hall, Qi Yu's gaze always involuntarily drifted towards Yun Xi behind him.
Just a moment ago, she was as lively as a lark, but now she was unusually quiet, looking preoccupied.
For some reason, he didn't want to see even a trace of sorrow on her face.
"Are you okay?"
Qi Yu suddenly stopped. Yun Xi, who was absent - minded, couldn't react in time and bumped straight into him.
Qi Yu instinctively opened his arms, and Yun Xi crashed into his arms without warning!