Qiao Yan blushed instantly.
She cast a loving glance at Yun Qi, and her voice involuntarily softened:
"Ask your elder brother. I... I'm going back first."
With such a look and tone, there was no need to ask Yun Qi.
Yun Xi's eyes curved with a smile:
"Coincidentally, we're going back too. Then we'll take our leave for now."
"Tomorrow is the second day of the lunar new year. We'll visit the Liu Mansion. If there's nothing else on the third day, I'll ask Father and Mother to visit the Marquis Mansion with me. Is that okay?"
Qiao Yan looked at Qiao He, who nodded dotingly.
That was a sign of agreement.
Unable to suppress the smile on her lips any longer, Qiao Yan softly murmured an "okay", stole a glance at the group, then buried her head and scurried away.
Her actions made everyone burst into laughter.
After the two parties bid farewell, Yun Xi told Yun Qi what had happened just now.
"Why are you just telling me now?"
Yun Qi was quite anxious:
"You should have come to tell me right away. This concerns your life. An extra person like me means an extra helping hand."
Knowing that Yun Qi would react like this, Yun Xi quickly coaxed him with sweet words. She repeatedly promised to take him with her when she went to the underground palace, which finally appeased Yun Qi's "anger".
Meanwhile, Shen Zhou, who had left in a fit of sadness, was now standing quietly on the second floor of a shop opposite the Qunying Tower, watching Yun Xi and the others leave below.
"Did you give her the drawing?"
Suddenly, a man wearing a golden mask emerged from behind and lazily leaned against the window frame, asking casually.
Shen Zhou didn't say a word.
He didn't even cast a glance in that direction.
"Don't worry. Your Yingying won't get hurt. Moreover, this 'gift' was originally meant for them. We won't make a move. You can rest assured."
With a look as if thick clouds were gathering in his eyes, Shen Zhou's gaze slowly followed Yun Xi's movements below.
"Then could elder brother tell me,"
His gaze paused, and Shen Zhou suddenly asked:
"What exactly is the thing the Saint Master wants from Yingying? And how did it end up on her?"
"I don't know."
The man with the golden mask answered simply and crisply.
"I don't inquire about what he wants, and he doesn't interfere with what I desire. We're just cooperating for mutual benefit. Naturally, he won't tell me his secrets."
It was an expected answer.
Shen Zhou didn't press further.
Suddenly turning to his elder brother, who had always refused to show his face, Shen Zhou stared intently at him and said thoughtfully:
"Since we're not making a move, it seems unlike elder brother's style to do things for the Saint Master for free and even give away what the Prince of Yu'an wants."
Letting out a low laugh, the man's voice was muffled under the mask, sounding as if it came from another world:
"How can it be doing things for him for free? Don't you still have you?"
"With your help, we can find the clues they've been dreaming of. Such a great contribution without asking for a reward. If you help them find other clues in the future, say, something about the Prince of Chi Xuan. How much do you think they'll believe?"
A flash of dark light passed through his eyes, and Shen Zhou curled his lips:
"Elder brother, what a brilliant plan..."
On the other side, at the Yun Mansion—
Yun Xi first told Liu Jingyue and Yun Weisheng about what had happened between Qiao Yan and Yun Qi today. After getting their happy approval, she then told the couple about meeting Shan Hou.
The couple, who had just been overjoyed that their son had finally come to his senses, immediately stood up excitedly and shouted that they wanted to go and find the person right away.
It took Yun Xi a great deal of persuasion to barely calm them down.
After discussing for a while, they finally decided that Yi Yuan would instruct Lin An to send some people from the Heavy Frost Pavilion to follow the map drawn by Shen Zhou and check if it was a trap.
The Yun family would stay put for the time being and first finalize the betrothals of the siblings to avoid any complications.
Suddenly, both children were going to be betrothed, and the Yun family was caught completely off guard.
For a moment, they were in a complete tizzy.
Time flew by, and in the blink of an eye, it was the sixth day of the lunar new year.
The news that Yun Xi and Yi Yuan were going to have an official betrothal banquet spread far and wide. Emperor Zhaohuan in the palace even summoned Yun Weisheng and Yi Yuan into the palace and bestowed a lot of rewards to express his congratulations.
The entire Yun Mansion and the Prince of Yu'an's Mansion were filled with joy. The congratulatory gifts were piled up like mountains in every room.
It was so lively as if they were about to get officially married.
At this moment, in the prison where Lou Qianying was being held, a black shadow flashed by like a ghost, leading the deeply jealous Lou Qianying out of the prison after a series of twists and turns.
In the Yun Mansion, Yun Xi was dressed in magnificent clothes. The jewels on her head sparkled, the jade pendants around her waist jingled, and the red flower decoration on her forehead made her skin look like fine jade and her beauty surpass that of a flower.
"Miss,"
Saixing had been smiling from ear to ear since early morning. Staring at Yun Xi in a daze, she praised:
"You're really beautiful. You look just like a celestial maiden from the heavens."
Amused by Saixing, Yun Xi scolded with a smile:
"Alright, alright. You've said that hundreds of times this morning. If you keep on praising me like this, your miss will float away."
"Then I'll tie you up with a rope..."
"What nonsense are you talking about?"
Jiang Ning came in from the outer room, carrying a tray covered with a red cloth. She pretended to glare at Saixing:
"Do you think your miss is a kitten or a puppy that you can tie up with a rope?"
As she spoke, she carried the tray in front of Yun Xi, lifted a corner of the cloth with a smile, and said:
"All the return gifts you made for the prince yourself are here. Everyone is waiting outside. Let's go out."
"Okay."
Yun Xi replied, and the group of people gradually walked out.
Yi Yuan was standing upright in the crowd in a red robe, looking as radiant as spring flowers and as charming as autumn moons.
The kind voices of people cheering filled his ears, and his heart was pounding in his chest.
Yun Xi walked towards Yi Yuan step by step, as if walking on the path of her future marriage.
Yi Yuan's heart was also pounding wildly. The smile and joy in his eyes were almost overflowing.
Next came the procedures of opening the wooden box, putting on the bracelet; exchanging the betrothal letters, and then starting the banquet.
After going through all the procedures, by the time it was time to eat, Yun Xi's stomach was already growling with hunger.
For this betrothal banquet, Yi Yuan didn't follow the etiquette of the royal family. He only followed the rules of ordinary officials and invited close friends like Hun Yuan and Xie Huaiyue. He didn't invite any of the royal relatives. So, all the people who came were the closest ones of the two families, and there was no need for so many formalities.
Both men and women were seated at the same table, all smiling happily and constantly offering their congratulations.
Yi Yuan and Yun Xi were seated at the same table. From time to time, he would personally pick up food for her and carefully remove the seasonings she didn't like.
He was very considerate, which made all the ladies and young misses around them praise him and envy Yun Xi in their hearts.
Just as they were eating, suddenly a shrill scream came from the backyard, startling everyone. They immediately put down their cups and chopsticks and pricked up their ears to listen carefully.
Hun Yuan, who was sitting at the main seat, turned pale. The next moment, he disappeared from sight.
Yun Xi exchanged a glance with Yi Yuan. Just as she was about to say something, Liu Jingyue suddenly stood up with a whoosh and said sharply:
"You go. I'll watch over the guests here."
The two of them nodded in unison and then turned around and ran towards the backyard.
When they arrived following the sound, they saw Hun Yuan kneeling on the ground with his back to them. A girl dressed as a maid was lying beside him, her eyes closed and blood oozing from the corner of her mouth. It was obvious that she was already dead.
The bright and eye - catching red all over the ground made people feel cold in their hearts.
It was as if an invisible hand had grabbed Yun Xi's heart tightly. She felt that her legs were so heavy that she couldn't move.
There was only one person in this world whom Hun Yuan would hold like this—
Jiang Ning.