"Are you awake?"
Sunlight streamed into the room.
Zhao Shuning opened her eyes.
The first thing she saw was her master.
His skin was so fair, and his features were so good-looking. Whenever Zhao Shuning stared into his eyes for too long, she would be tempted to sink into them.
"What? Still dazed?"
"Ah—no, no, I'm awake."
Zhao Shuning did a sit-up and quickly sat up.
Yan Ruyu also got up.
He was quietly getting dressed.
Just then, there was a knock on the door.
"Miss Luo, did you sleep well last night? I brought some breakfast from the mansion. Knowing you like it, I came early in the morning for you to have a taste."
Zhao Shuning's eyes widened.
She looked at her master who was still getting dressed on the bed.
Why did she feel that her master was getting dressed slower and slower?
"Are you done? If there's nothing, I'll come in."
Zhao Shuning quickly stopped him, saying, "Wait a moment."
But at this moment, the door opened.
Zhao Shuning covered her forehead and said, "Didn't I tell you to wait?"
Xia Qingyan said blankly, "If I said I didn't push the door, it opened by itself, would you believe me?"
Believe? Who would believe that!
"You must be the son of Xia Yan from the Sea Spirit Country."
Hearing this, Xia Qingyan quickly looked at the bed. Before this, he hadn't realized there was anyone else in the room besides Zhao Shuning.
Whether Yan Ruyu did it deliberately or not.
When Xia Qingyan looked at him, he was slowly buttoning up the last button.
"You, you, you—"
"Miss Luo—you, you—"
"How could he be in your room?"
Zhao Shuning could only say with her head down, "Is it strange for him to be in my room?"
Of course it was strange.
Zhao Shuning knew it was strange too. At this moment, she was just putting on a bold front.
"Isn't it strange?"
"Of course not."
"That's right. You've made a private pledge for life. Naturally, everything that should have happened has happened."
Xia Qingyan was right, and Zhao Shuning agreed. But why did it sound so awkward when he said it?
Moreover, what was even more strange was that after Xia Qingyan said so much, her master didn't even say a single word to refute. That was the strangest part.
"The fruits and pastries you brought look so delicate. They should taste good too. Put them down quickly. I'm just hungry."
Xia Qingyan put down the pastries blankly.
Zhao Shuning quickly greeted Yan Ruyu to come and have breakfast.
Yan Ruyu slowly walked to the table and had pastries with Zhao Shuning.
"By the way, Prince Xia, what do you come to me for?"
"I, I just wanted to tell you that I've talked to my father. After he heard that you're the granddaughter of the senior official, he agreed to meet you. He said there will be a family banquet in the prince's mansion the day after tomorrow. You can attend with me then."
Zhao Shuning nodded.
There were a lot of crumbs on the corner of her mouth.
Yan Ruyu gently wiped them off for her and then asked, "Can we bring family members?"
Zhao Shuning was stunned. She looked at Yan Ruyu. There was no change in Yan Ruyu's expression. He was still as gentle as ever.
Xia Qingyan didn't know whether to stand or sit at this moment.
"Burian, what did you just say?"
"I said, can we bring family members? I want to go with you."
Zhao Shuning turned around.
"Xia Qingyan, can I bring him?"
"You—do as you like."
Zhao Shuning nodded.
"Then you go with me the day after tomorrow."
Xia Qingyan really couldn't stand it anymore, so he stood up.
"Well, there are still some things for me to deal with in the prince's mansion. I'll leave first. The clothes you need to wear for the banquet will be sent by a special person tomorrow. Someone will come to pick you up then. I'll leave first, okay?"
Zhao Shuning nodded.
"Take care."
Yan Ruyu: "No need to see you off."
Xia Qingyan held back his anger.
He walked out of the room.
Then he didn't even look back and went straight back to the prince's mansion.
Zhao Shuning was still eating.
But Yan Ruyu put down the pastries in his hand.
"Burian, tell me. I'm listening."
"Huh?"
"I know you best. You'd rather avoid trouble. This time you're willing to go to the prince's mansion with me. Did you find something?"
Yan Ruyu smiled.
Sure enough, after spending so much time with her, she could tell what was on his mind.
"There's something strange about the prince's mansion."
"What's so strange about it?"
"Why do you want to go to the prince's mansion?"
Zhao Shuning stopped. She gently wiped her hands with an embroidered handkerchief and said, "I promised Xia Qingyan that I would go to the prince's mansion with him to see what kind of woman the Prince Xia is going to marry as his equal wife."
"You're going?"
"Yes. I'm an alchemist. My spiritual power is stronger. I can help Xia Qingyan check if the woman his father is going to marry is a good person."
"Okay."
"Burian, why do you want to go with me?"
Yan Ruyu said, "Do you know who the woman the Prince Xia is going to marry is?"
"I know. Xia Qingyan said that the woman was the dowry maid who came to the prince's mansion with his mother back then."
Yan Ruyu was still waiting for Zhao Shuning to continue.
But Zhao Shuning just spread her hands.
"That's all."
"That's all?"
"Yes. That's all Xia Qingyan told me."
At this moment, Yan Ruyu smiled gently. He lovingly stroked Zhao Shuning's hair and then said, "You're really easy to deceive."
"What's wrong?"
"The woman the Prince Xia is going to marry is the dowry maid of Gu Qingqing back then. However, that maid is no ordinary person."
"Burian, how do you know that?"
"You may not have heard of Gu Qingqing back then. If Ye Feng were here, you could ask her why such an extraordinary woman died in the prince's mansion just a few years after giving birth to Xia Qingyan."
Zhao Shuning's eyes were full of curiosity.
She asked carefully, "Did that woman do it?"
"More or less."
Zhao Shuning became even more interested.
"How could a mere maid step on her master?"
"That's where her strength lies. Girl, do you know the woman's surname?"
Zhao Shuning shook her head.
"An."
The surname An?
"Is it An Yun?"
An Yun was the current witch of the Sea Spirit Country.
Yan Ruyu nodded.
"An Yun is actually a woman?"
"Yes. And she's good at witchcraft. The An family in the Cangwu Country was exterminated because of practicing witchcraft. An Yun was good-looking. Gu Qingqing pitied her and spared her the branding punishment. She took her in as a maid."
So.
An Yun's background.
Wasn't simple either.
"You could find out so much in just one day?"
"Girl, there are still some unclear points. I can only know their real intentions after I enter the prince's mansion."
Zhao Shuning felt a little happy when she heard her master call her girl.
She knew that the main reason her master was willing to go to the prince's mansion with her was to help her investigate the strange poison in her body.
Maybe the golden silkworm gu was related to An Yun.