As soon as the words left his mouth, Yi Yuan himself was slightly dazed.
Why did he feel as if he were making a promise to his future mother - in - law?
Yi Yuan was still confused about his changing mindset. And his heartfelt confession moved everyone in the carriage, especially Ye Xi.
She had secretly felt jealous about the possibility of Yi Yuan taking concubines. She had also thought about how she would handle the situation if that really happened, but in the end, she couldn't come up with a good solution. In this world, people's hearts are changeable. How long can two people who love each other stay so?
When they are in love, they truly love. Every word they say and every deed they do show that they care about each other.
But... when they grow tired of each other, they truly do.
However, with Yi Yuan's sincere words now, Ye Xi suddenly felt that perhaps he could really keep his promise.
Regardless of what the future held, at least for now, they truly loved each other.
Love should be cherished in the present. After all, even the most powerful fortune - teller can't predict the future accurately. Since they had confirmed their feelings for each other, why not love whole - heartedly?
As her eyes sparkled, sweetness and joy welled up from the bottom of Ye Xi's heart, coloring her fair and tender face, which had just been scrubbed clean of makeup, with a faint pink hue.
Liu Jingyue, an experienced woman, immediately saw the affection between the two.
Yi Yuan was indeed a good match. He was extremely handsome, highly skilled in martial arts, and came from a top - notch family. Since the old prince and princess had passed away early, and Yi Yuan's only brother had died on the battlefield, selfishly speaking, Ye Xi would have a say in everything in the family.
This was a perfect marriage.
However, after fourteen years, seeing her own child again under such circumstances, Liu Jingyue felt that no one was good enough for her.
"A man's words..."
Liu Jingyue gave Ye Xi a half - smiling look but didn't continue. Instead, she changed the topic.
"The wounds have been treated. Let's go to the city first. It's freezing here. The heater in my carriage will run out soon, and then it will get cold."
"Wait for Si Gong and your little bodyguard to come back. After we figure out the situation, we'll head back to the capital together. I see that this child is weak all over and can't speak. It should be because she was poisoned by some mysterious medicine. I don't know if there will be any other symptoms later. Lixian is a small place with no outstanding doctors. As soon as we get back to the capital, we'll find a good doctor to examine her."
"What Madam Yun said is very reasonable. Let's go back then."
Yi Yuan replied instinctively. Even he was surprised by the respect in his words.
He always felt as if he had been under a voodoo spell...
But in action, he obediently followed Liu Jingyue's instructions.
As soon as the group returned to the county town and settled in an inn, they ordered some warm winter snacks and were slowly enjoying them when Mian Xiao and Chou Sigong rushed back. The dozen or so people who had chased after Shan Hou also all came back.
"My lord,"
Mian Xiao clasped his fists in salute.
"I'm incompetent. That thief is extremely cunning. I failed to catch him."
Chou Sigong also said,
"Madam, that old man is very skilled in martial arts. I couldn't defeat him. His big - sized subordinate was no match for our brothers, but unfortunately, when he saw the situation was unfavorable, he resolutely jumped off the cliff, so our brothers couldn't catch him."
Neither of them was surprised by this result.
On the way back, Yi Yuan and Liu Jingyue had roughly explained the cause and effect of this disaster. Although they couldn't figure out the mysterious man's motives, they both agreed that the other party would never give up easily.
Especially according to what Ye Xi had "said", that Holy Master was extremely cautious and seemed to be very familiar with the route from the capital to the southwest, as if he had planned it hundreds of times. It was reasonable that they couldn't catch him.
They waved their hands respectively, signaling Mian Xiao and Chou Sigong to stand up. Yi Yuan said first,
"It doesn't matter. Anyway, he will definitely show up again sooner or later."
"First, spread the news to revoke the wanted and reward orders for Xiao Xi, and replace them with the portraits of that so - called Holy Master and Shan Hou. Send a message to Ling Yan and Young Master Yun to tell them that Xiao Xi has been found."
After a pause, Yi Yuan's phoenix eyes turned cold, and he continued,
"Recall all the people we sent out. We'll head back to the capital immediately. This Ghost Holy Master has been too successful in abducting Xiao Xi all the way from the capital. I'd like to see which powerful figure is behind all this."
"Yes."
Mian Xiao responded and immediately went down to arrange for the people.
Liu Jingyue gracefully put down the small blue - and - white porcelain bowl in her hand, wiped the corners of her lips, and casually said,
"My lord seems to be very familiar with my Xiao Qi. A few days ago, Xiao Qi sent a letter home. In the letter, he mentioned the surprise attack by the Ying Army when he was fifteen. I think that's what my lord asked about."
"My child grew up on the border with his father since childhood. He is very stubborn. I wonder how my lord became friends with Xiao Qi? Miss Ye and my lord are always together. How does she get along with Xiao Qi?"
As she said this, she naturally picked up some snacks for Ye Xi with her chopsticks and said a little cautiously,
"Have you... met Xiao Ying and interacted with her? What do you think of her?"
The meat in Ye Xi's mouth suddenly lost its taste.
She knew that as their mother, Liu Jingyue would inevitably mention Yun Qianying. Just because of all that had happened before, Ye Xi originally thought that Yun Qianying was just a bit willful and jealous like a little girl. But later, after seeing what Yun Qianying had done, she realized that the girl was actually extremely vicious. She was arrogant and didn't distinguish right from wrong at all, always acting according to her own imagination, which was completely inconsistent with her sweet and lovely appearance.
She didn't want to speak ill of Yun Qianying in front of her mother, Liu Jingyue. Nor could she bad - mouth the girl right after she had saved her.
But she also couldn't praise Yun Qianying's character against her will, as it would make her feel sick.
Fortunately, although she had recovered 80% of her strength, her voice still hadn't recovered, so she could temporarily muddle through.
Ye Xi gave Yi Yuan a look, signaling him to help her answer. She just nodded randomly, indicating that she had interacted with Yun Qianying and Yun Qi.
Yi Yuan received Ye Xi's look and immediately took over the conversation to praise Yun Qi, but he never mentioned Yun Qianying.
Liu Jingyue was extremely intelligent. Seeing this, she knew that there must have been some unpleasantness between Yun Qianying and the two of them, so she didn't press further. After they talked for a while and saw that it was getting dark, they separately booked rooms to rest.
"Madam,"
After the two left, Lu Qiong's expressionless face finally showed a hint of confusion.
"Do you think Miss Ye looks familiar? She didn't seem so before with makeup, but now that her face is clean, for some reason, I feel as if I've met her before."
"How could I not find her familiar..."
Liu Jingyue's eyes were deep, and all the suppressed bitterness and guilt showed in her eyes.
"She is Yingying."
"What!?"
Lu Qiong had never shown such a surprised expression in decades.
"How... how could it be? Didn't Miss get taken away by You Shang back then? Why did she return to the capital and get abducted here..."