Shen Zhou averted his gaze and gave Yi Zhen a nonchalant look.
"The princess should just enjoy her life of luxury. Don't bother about other things."
"What do you mean, Second Cousin?"
Yi Zhen remained unfazed.
"I'm half a member of the Shen family. The Shen family is the greatest reliance for my mother and me.
"Since the prince has already set his sights on the Shen family, my mother and I will surely be affected. If Grandfather has a plan, why not tell us about it?"
Brushing the snow off his clothes, a flash of mockery crossed Shen Zhou's eyes.
"Grandfather has his own considerations. Princess Four, just don't act willfully."
"Otherwise, if something goes wrong, it will backfire."
With a glint in her eyes, Yi Zhen twirled the hot water bottle in her arms and smiled.
"Cousin, are you afraid I'll do something to your beloved Miss Xi?"
"But I heard that Grandfather seems to... want her dead."
Shen Zhou suddenly looked up at Yi Zhen, a fleeting look of killing intent on his face.
"The confrontation between Grandfather and the Prince of Yu'an won't target a helpless young woman like her."
"It's cold. The princess should return to the palace quickly."
After saying that, he ignored Yi Zhen and got into the carriage and left.
On the other side—
When the carriage reached a fork in the road, Liu Mengxian bid farewell to Ye Xi and left with Ren Jiao.
Outside the carriage, the snow was falling in profusion. Inside, the small brazier had been rekindled with charcoal, making it so warm that one felt drowsy.
Ye Xi nestled in Yi Yuan's arms and chatted idly.
"In that case, isn't the Lou family also a good choice?"
Gently stroking Ye Xi's hair, Yi Yuan softened his voice.
"Otherwise, if the Lou family asks me to do something through you in the future, I won't be able to refuse any of them."
Ye Xi was amused by Yi Yuan and suddenly looked up at him with bright eyes.
"What if my own family is even more scheming than Mrs. Lou?"
"What if they force me to ask you for official positions and power, use your influence to do evil, and still demand that you protect them?"
Without hesitation, Yi Yuan replied,
"I'll stand by your side."
"Stand by my side?"
Ye Xi was stunned by Yi Yuan's quick answer.
"What do you mean by standing by my side? It's not up to me to make the decision."
Lowering his head to kiss Ye Xi's forehead, Yi Yuan showed a faint smile.
"Why isn't it up to you? If they want me to do something, they'll have to go through you.
"If you come and tell me, it means you agree. If you don't agree yourself, you definitely won't tell me about it."
"So, I'll stand by your side."
Pouting discontentedly, Ye Xi gently poked Yi Yuan's solid chest with her slender finger.
"What if I can't make up my mind?"
"Hmm..."
Yi Yuan lowered his eyes slightly and thought.
"Then we'll discuss it together. Anyway, I'll be yours for the rest of my life. If you're willing to let me be exiled to the army and..."
Ye Xi quickly covered his mouth.
"Spit, spit, spit. Don't talk nonsense! May everything go smoothly and be free from taboos."
"You spit quickly to get rid of the bad luck..."
"Whoa—"
The sudden sound of the Lingyan imperial horse stopping interrupted the conversation in the carriage.
"There's a person by the roadside, miss and your highness."
A person?
The two looked at each other. Yi Yuan lifted the curtain and saw a person lying on his side in the snow on the left front.
There were obvious bloodstains on his body. He was curled up, and his face couldn't be seen clearly. One could only vaguely tell from his clothes that it was a man. The soft snow had accumulated on him as thick as a finger, indicating that he had been lying there for a long time.
Ye Xi frowned and ordered,
"Lingyan, go and take a look."
"Yes."
With a light leap, Lingyan quickly reached the man's side.
Turning his face over, Lingyan was shocked and shouted,
"Miss, your highness, it's Master Hunyuan!"
"What!?"
Both of them were startled. Yi Yuan quickly pressed Ye Xi, who was about to get out of the carriage, and said in a deep voice,
"Wait for me here. I'll go and have a look."
As soon as he finished speaking, he lifted the curtain and jumped out.
"Lingyan,"
Yi Yuan walked up quickly and said urgently,
"Quickly help him up and put him in the empty carriage behind."
After much trouble, Hunyuan's body, which was as cold as ice, finally slowly warmed up, but he still didn't wake up.
"He's seriously injured,"
Yi Yuan frowned tightly.
"Let's go back to the mansion first."
All the fun was gone. The carriage swayed all the way and soon arrived at the Prince of Yu'an's Mansion.
Just as they had carefully treated Hunyuan's wounds, Jiang Ning rushed over in a hurry.
Jiang Ning had never seen Hunyuan so badly injured. She felt her legs go weak and almost fell to the ground.
Fortunately, Ye Xi was careful and had asked Saixing to pay close attention early on, thus avoiding another injury.
"Aning,"
Ye Xi quickly stepped forward to comfort her.
"The doctor in the mansion has examined him. Senior Brother is out of danger. Don't worry too much."
"Okay."
Jiang Ning's voice was hoarse. Seeing Ye Xi's worried look, she forced a smile.
"I'm fine. I just want to see him."
As she spoke, she walked to the bedside. When she saw Hunyuan's pale face without a trace of blood, she finally couldn't help but have red eyes.
"Didn't you say you'd leave the capital to practice when you met your Taoist destiny? Why did you hurt yourself like this?"
Jiang Ning's murmured voice was obviously choked with sobs. She gently stroked Hunyuan's cheek with her fingertips.
"Have you lied to me again? You did the same when you were young, and you're still the same when you've grown up..."
"Since you're going to lie, at least... don't get hurt."
Jiang Ning burst into tears.
Ye Xi felt sad. She wanted to comfort her, but after opening and closing her lips several times, she couldn't find a single word that wasn't so pale.
The atmosphere in the room became dull for a moment.
I don't know how many hours had passed when Hunyuan's weak voice sounded feebly.
"Why are you crying? You're fine."
"Senior Brother!"
Ye Xi's eyes lit up, and she immediately rushed to the bedside and looked at him happily.
Jiang Ning was still sad. Suddenly seeing Hunyuan wake up, she wanted to cry and laugh at the same time. She pinched the soft flesh on his arm hard and said angrily,
"It's all your fault. You've always lied to me. I'll never believe you again in the future!"
Yi Yuan also came over. He gave Hunyuan a cold look and said,
"Good. You won't die now that you're awake.
"You'd better cherish these few hours. When you've recovered your strength tomorrow, be prepared to give a honest account."
Hunyuan simply closed his eyes and pretended not to hear.
The night passed in silence. Early the next morning, just after breakfast, Yi Yuan and Ye Xi sat neatly in Hunyuan's recuperating room.
Hunyuan was drinking porridge and almost choked himself.
Jiang Ning found it funny. While handing him a silk handkerchief, she said,
"Are you scared now? Why didn't you think about the consequences when you sneaked away by yourself?"
"Cough, cough..."
Hunyuan wiped the soup stains from the corner of his mouth and said righteously,
"What do you mean by sneaking away? Didn't I leave you a message?"
"Moreover, the situation was sudden. I just didn't have time to explain in detail."
"Humph—"
Jiang Ning glared at him angrily.
"Then tell me yourself. Is what you wrote in the note the same as what you actually did?"
"Uh..."
Knowing he was in the wrong, Hunyuan buried his head in drinking porridge.
He had just taken a couple of sips when Yi Yuan snatched the bowl away.
"What on earth have you been up to?"
"Don't try to fob me off. Xiaoxi is here."
Just then, Ye Xi stepped forward, smiling at Hunyuan with extreme sincerity.