"Lord Su, you're overpraising me. In the future, my brother and I will rely on you a great deal. Once again, I thank you for bravely coming to the Prime Minister's Mansion in its hour of need! I, Yun Xi, will always remember this great kindness. When my father is released from prison, we will surely repay you handsomely!"
These days, there are many who only add to the glory when things are going well, but few who offer timely help. A person like Su Qian, who disregards his own life and death to uphold righteousness, is truly a rare gem.
Especially after the recent catastrophe that befell the Prime Minister's Mansion, it made her see many things clearly.
It also made her see human nature for what it was!
Qi Rong had promised her on the surface that he would protect her father. In return, she accompanied him back to Lingchuan.
She knew of Qi Rong's resentment towards her father. She once thought that Qi Rong was doing all this for her sake, which touched her deeply but also filled her with guilt.
So, she desperately wanted to give something back to him.
Seeing how worried he was about the people of Lingchuan and the construction of the weir, she did all she could, donating money and food. She even lost sleep over the weir - building strategy, all in an effort to ease his burden.
Regarding the matter of the Yan Cave, she also did her utmost to fulfill his entrustment to her as well as possible.
She never had any intention of monopolizing the resources and wealth of the Yan Cave.
She had given her all to him, but what did he give back to her?
Mockery! Deception! He even framed her father!
Even when she wanted to return to the capital to save her father, he stopped her. From beginning to end, he never once considered her true feelings.
She was a Yun. Whether he liked it or not, whether he accepted it or not, she was always the daughter of Yun Sheng!
Yun Xi saw Su Qian out of the mansion gate. Yun Qi, however, stared at Yun Xi, hesitating to speak.
Noticing his hesitation, Yun Xi gave a faint smile. "Brother Qi, if you have something to say, just say it. Being so hesitant isn't like you."
Although she couldn't get close to this younger brother, they were still blood - related.
Especially in this difficult situation, they had to support each other to help the Prime Minister's Mansion get through the crisis.
Yun Qi tightly pursed his thin lips. After a long silence, he finally made up his mind and said:
"Elder sister, if it's possible, could you please rescue second elder sister too?"
Seeing Yun Xi silent and staring fixedly at him, a look of panic flashed across Yun Qi's face. He quickly explained:
"I know that second elder sister has always been overbearing, and this time she brought this upon herself. But she is still a member of the Yun family after all!"
"Moreover, from what you just said, it seems that she was also being used and did something wrong on a whim. But she is still young. We should give her a chance to reform..."
The more he talked, the more he felt uneasy when meeting Yun Xi's calm gaze.
Finally, all the words in his heart turned into a helpless sigh:
"Elder sister, I don't want second elder sister to die."
After saying this, Yun Qi hung his head like a child who had done something wrong, not daring to look into Yun Xi's eyes.
"Why didn't you just say so earlier?"
Looking at Yun Qi with red eyes and a choked voice, Yun Xi couldn't help but feel pity.
For the first time, she reached out and stroked Yun Qi's head.
Even though he usually acted mature, he was still just a ten - year - old boy.
One could tell from his bottomless tolerance towards Madam Jiang.
He had a sense of justice, but he could never be cold - hearted towards his own family. This was probably Yun Qi's greatest weakness.
Hearing Yun Xi's words, Yun Qi suddenly looked up, hardly believing it:
"Elder sister, you've agreed?!"
He knew that second elder sister had often lorded it over elder sister and framed her.
Yun Qi didn't think that Yun Xi was the kind of pure - hearted person who would only return good for evil and not know how to fight back.
So the only possible reason for Yun Xi to do this was for him?!
Thinking of this, Yun Qi was deeply touched. With slightly hot eyes, he looked at Yun Xi and said seriously:
"As long as elder sister agrees to rescue second elder sister, no matter how things turn out, I will be grateful to you for the rest of my life!"
"If second elder sister successfully escapes danger, I also promise you that I will watch over her in the future and never let her cause any more trouble!"
Hearing Yun Qi's promise, Yun Xi shook her head with a bitter smile.
"I don't need your gratitude, because even without your request, I had already planned to do so."
Because if she wanted the Prime Minister's Mansion to completely get out of danger, she had to "clear" Yun Ni of the crime of poisoning the crown prince.
Whether Yun Ni did it deliberately or not, she would do everything in her power to turn it into a conspiracy theory. So now she was also quietly building momentum, waiting for the right moment to "free" Yun Ni.
"Although I don't believe that Yun Ni can truly reform, for the sake of father and the entire Prime Minister's Mansion, Yun Ni must be 'innocent'."
"After all, how could an innocent person be locked up in a death cell?"
So, she could only guarantee that Yun Ni would not die. What happened after that would depend on Yun Ni's own luck!
Understanding Yun Xi's words, Yun Qi nodded heavily.
"Thank you, elder sister. This is enough!"
Hearing Yun Qi's words, Yun Xi gave a calm smile and patted Yun Qi's shoulder. There was a hint of exhaustion in her eyes.
Because of Madam Jiang, she and Yun Ni had been at odds with each other. If possible, she naturally didn't want the siblings to turn against each other.
Fortunately, Yun Qi didn't resent her for her actions towards Madam Jiang.
Otherwise, she might not have known how to face Yun Qi in the future.
Watching the interaction between the two siblings, Su Qian silently raised the corners of his lips. His gaze on Yun Xi unconsciously deepened.
Perhaps, he should seriously consider the letter his teacher had written to him before being imprisoned.
To be able to marry such a woman, what more could a man ask for?
Thinking of this, Su Qian stepped forward and walked up to Yun Xi. His dark eyes stared at Yun Xi, and he said gently:
"Princess, no matter what difficulties you encounter in the future, you can come to the Qingfeng Inn to find me. I hope you won't bear everything alone."
Su Qian's words made Yun Xi's eyes widen in surprise.
After all, they had only just met, but his words seemed a bit over - familiar, yet not at all annoying. Instead, she felt touched because he could see her weariness.
Yun Xi stared blankly at Su Qian, while Su Qian always returned a gentle smile. The appropriate distance made people neither dislike him nor feel estranged.
"Thank you. I will."
Without rejecting his kindness, Yun Xi nodded with a smile.
After watching Su Qian and Yun Qi leave, Yun Xi stood at the door in a daze for a long time.
She couldn't help but fantasize in her heart that if she married someone like Su Qian in the future, would she be happy and carefree for the rest of her life?
Because a gentleman like Su Qian would surely never deceive or mock her, nor would he let her experience the pain brought by love.
There would be no more Qi Rong in her life. She wouldn't have to wonder whether he loved her or not, whether he would lose interest in her in the future and then fall in love with another woman!