"No way!"
Yun Xi gave a start and instinctively blurted out her refusal.
At this moment, she still had no idea how much the current emperor knew about the past events, nor how much "contribution" the old prince had made in them. If Yi Yuan were to find out something, with the Shen family eyeing them covetously, they might all be doomed with just one slip-up.
Cold sweat trickled down her back. When Yun Xi came to her senses, she realized that everyone was looking at her strangely.
"What I mean is..."
Yun Xi wracked her brains to find an excuse for her abnormal behavior.
Thankfully, she reacted quickly and immediately thought of her other identity. A glint flashed across her eyes, and Yun Xi calmly said,
"There's no need for you to take this risk. If the emperor finds out, he might think you have ill intentions."
"Anyway, my identity as Man Ping is just the junior sister of Hun Yuan. It would be much more convenient for me to go and get it. I can do it openly. Even if someone sees me, they won't be able to say anything."
"You're right,"
Yun Qi also thought it was a good idea and agreed,
"When the time comes, little sister can go and choose carefully. We can avoid being in a hurry and wasting time on unimportant things."
Yi Yuan slightly narrowed his phoenix eyes and said nothing.
He always felt that there was another meaning behind Yun Xi's words, as if she was hiding something.
But he trusted Yun Xi. If she didn't want to say, there must be her reasons.
Yi Yuan didn't want to, and wouldn't force her.
"Then let's do it as Xiao Xi said."
Giving Yun Xi a meaningful look, Yi Yuan pretended not to notice anything,
"The New Year is just a few days after the welcome banquet. The Gu on Xiao Xi's body is extremely urgent. Since there's a high possibility that Mo Tong is related to the Holy Master, and we can't find Mo Tong, we need to make a good plan and start from the Holy Master."
The others naturally had no objections.
The group discussed for a long time, trying to perfect all the details they could think of, striving to make no mistakes.
Just as they were discussing, a maid came in to report that Yun Qianying and Shen Zhou had come.
Everyone was stunned. They didn't understand how these two people, one injured and the other under house arrest, had managed to meet up.
Yun Xi was in a difficult position.
She didn't really want to let either of them in.
But Shen Zhou had saved her life before. He had even almost fallen out with the Shen family over the Wu'ai Fruit. Yun Xi always felt that if it weren't for Yun Qianying's infatuation with him and the Shen family's desire to form an alliance with the Yun family, Shen Zhou might have lost his life long ago.
She had previously agreed not to alienate him. She couldn't just turn her back on him as soon as she got what she wanted. That would be too heart - breaking.
But Yun Xi didn't want to see Yun Qianying.
Although she had only been reunited with her father for a few hours, Yun Xi could clearly feel her father's deep love for her.
Yun Qianying was the child they had raised. Although Liu Jingyue might have gradually noticed that Yun Qianying was not as well - behaved as she seemed, Yun Weisheng still knew nothing about it.
Yun Xi was afraid that if she suddenly tore off Yun Qianying's mask, the two of them might not be able to accept it for a while. In their extreme sadness and anger, they might easily damage their health.
That was why she didn't ask Zhang Huan who was involved in the incident of her falling into the water at that time. She only focused on asking about the incident of her being kidnapped back then.
Now that Yun Qianying and Shen Zhou had come together, Yun Xi couldn't very well just let one in and turn Yun Qianying away.
After hesitating for a while, Yun Xi gritted her teeth and said,
"Please invite the two of them in."
"Yes."
The servant answered and left. Soon, he led the two of them in.
"Father, Mother,"
Yun Qianying's leg was wrapped in gauze. The thick winter clothes couldn't hide the bulge. Limping and frowning, she walked in supported by Liuyun.
But the moment she saw Yun Weisheng and Liu Jingyue, she immediately beamed with joy. She hid all her grievances and pain in her eyes, as if she was very afraid of worrying them, and just seeing them was the happiest thing for her.
The smile on her face and the pain she endured were perfectly combined. Yun Qianying said sweetly,
"Xiaoying heard that Father had returned to the capital and was in Zhihongyuan. I've missed you so much after such a long time. I couldn't care about anything else and rushed here." Yun Qianying's eyes fluttered, looking very lonely and scared. She gently bit her lip and said, "I hope I'm not... disturbing Sister Xi."
Although Liu Jingyue had noticed that there was something wrong with Yun Qianying, she didn't have any solid evidence about the incident of Yun Xi falling into the water, so she hadn't told Yun Weisheng yet. And Yun Qi, considering himself the elder brother, always thought that it was his own fault for not disciplining Yun Qianying well when she made mistakes, so he naturally wouldn't go and tell tales for no reason.
So up to now, Yun Weisheng only thought that Yun Qianying had been led astray by bad company after returning to the capital. That was why she had been willful, domineering, and had done those bad things under someone else's instigation.
After all, she was the girl who had grown up in front of him. Seeing Yun Qianying like this, Yun Weisheng felt his heart ache. He quickly stepped forward and helped her sit down beside him, lovingly saying,
"My child, what nonsense are you talking about?"
"Your Sister Xi is intelligent and kind - hearted. In just a few hours, Father has felt so lucky to have such a daughter. How could she think you're disturbing her? Don't misunderstand her with your wild thoughts."
Yun Xi: Well... actually, it is quite disturbing.
Seeing Yun Weisheng speaking up for her with full trust, Yun Xi silently swallowed her words back.
Shen Zhou came in right after. Seeing that the two of them had finished their greetings, he stepped forward with a smile and bowed politely,
"Greetings to General Yun and Lady Yun."
He was tall and upright, with a handsome and elegant appearance.
It was a pity that no one present gave him a good look. They just perfunctorily responded a couple of times.
But Shen Zhou wasn't annoyed at all.
To be precise, he was so happy that he couldn't be annoyed even if he wanted to.
After all, the news that Yun Xi was the real daughter of the Yun family was like a blessing from heaven to him. Now, he didn't have to be forced by his grandfather to marry Yun Qianying. He could pursue Yun Xi openly, and the Shen family would even secretly support him. How could he not be happy!
There was no attempt to hide the smile in his eyes. Shen Zhou said,
"I've come here for two reasons. First, I heard that Xiao Xi was seriously injured before. I was really worried, so I personally went to find some tonics. I hope Xiao Xi will recover soon."
"Second, I heard that General Yun rushed back to the capital overnight. The winter nights are cold and the snow is harsh. General Yun didn't care about his own safety and rushed on the road in the dark. His love as a father is really touching. I don't have any other way to express my admiration, so I asked my aunt to find the imperial doctor who usually takes care of the empress dowager and got a few plasters specifically for sword and weapon wounds. I hope they can relieve General Yun's new and old wounds and reduce his pain."
After saying that, without waiting for Yun Xi and the others to speak, he gently waved his hand. Sheng Yu behind him carried two large boxes and placed them in front of everyone. When the boxes were opened, a dazzling array of various rare medicinal materials and plaster porcelain bottles were revealed.
A rough look showed that they were all carefully selected items specifically for Yun Xi and Yun Weisheng's conditions.
This was not just a little bit of medicinal materials. It showed his extreme care.
Yun Weisheng and Liu Jingyue looked at each other in surprise. They didn't expect Shen Zhou to be so considerate.
As the saying goes, one should not hit a smiling face. Since Shen Zhou was so sincere, they didn't know how to keep a cold face for a moment.
Only Yi Yuan and Yun Qianying had faces as dark and gloomy as a coming storm.