Xiao Yunting immediately put the matter out of his mind.
He knew Tian Jinglan had used this incident to make herself noticed in front of him, but to him, it was nothing important.
If he wasn’t interested, then he simply wasn’t interested.
Even if Tian Jinglan were a better flower.
A better flower naturally deserved a better match. The only flower he had chosen, the only flower he wanted to nurture, was Qi Yuan. That was enough.
The moment he thought of Qi Yuan, his heart filled with tenderness.
Especially after arriving at the Qi residence and seeing the plate of taro-starch buns on the table, his eyes immediately lit up with a smile.
Baizhi and Lianqiao exchanged glances and quietly withdrew, smiling.
Qi Yuan pushed the plate toward him. “Try them. May everything go smoothly on your journey.”
Xiao Yunting leaned forward and smiled at her across the table. “Yuanyuan, Imperial Grandfather has agreed. As soon as I return from the Northwest, he will immediately issue an imperial decree bestowing our marriage.”
His eyes sparkled brightly, making him look exactly like Ah Huang wagging its tail.
Speaking of Ah Huang, the dog barked and suddenly jumped high into the air.
It was very dissatisfied. Every time the Imperial Grandson came, it felt its life take a sharp turn for the worse.
It wasn’t that it was starving or anything. But… Miss no longer paid attention to it!
Ever since His Highness started coming, Miss’s eyes contained only the Imperial Grandson!
It felt wronged!
Seeing Ah Huang leap up, Xiao Yunting immediately pressed a hand on its head and pushed it down. Ah Huang instantly sat obediently on the ground, looking up at the pair with pitiful eyes.
Qi Yuan couldn’t help laughing.
Xiao Yunting sighed dramatically. “Yuanyuan, are you really this heartless?”
Qi Yuan lightly asked, “And what would count as not being heartless?”
“Feed me.” Xiao Yunting sighed again. “This trip will take at least one or two months. If things don’t go smoothly, it could take half a year. Feed me a dumpling, and I’ll survive the next six months on that single bite.”
Outside, Liujin clicked his tongue in disgust.
Was this really his master?
How had His Highness become like this?
Qingfeng pretended not to hear anything.
People really shouldn’t be too nosy.
Babao had the biggest reaction. Grinning broadly, he cheered: “Yes! Yes! Yes! That’s it! Say it exactly like that!”
Baizhi promptly threw a basin of water over their heads.
The entire basin splashed onto them.
Instantly, several people became drowned rats and stared at one another.
Inside the room, Qi Yuan actually picked up a bun and held it to Xiao Yunting’s mouth.
Smiling happily, Xiao Yunting swallowed it in one bite.
Then he suddenly leaned across the table and pulled Qi Yuan into his arms.
After holding her for quite some time, he finally told her about Ruixiang’s affair in the palace.
Qi Yuan raised an eyebrow thoughtfully.
So that was it.
Back then, she had also directly asked why the Crown Princess had suddenly committed suicide.
But Liujin had said it was Zhang Bin’s instigation.
So she had attributed everything to Zhang Bin.
It turned out there had also been a mole beside the Crown Princess.
However, that was no longer the important issue.
The person was already dead. No matter how capable a spy was, once dead, they were useless.
What interested her was something else. “This Miss Tian truly is beautiful and kind-hearted.”
For some reason, when the words beautiful and kind-hearted came from Qi Yuan’s mouth, they sounded particularly alarming.
Xiao Yunting immediately coughed and looked at her with a trace of nervousness. “Yuanyuan, rest assured, this has nothing to do with me. I’m grateful to her, but I already had a valuable gift sent in Royal Mother’s name to thank her.”
Even the reward hadn’t been sent under his own name.
He had deliberately done it to avoid suspicion.
After a brief silence, Qi Yuan burst out laughing. “Don’t worry. Do you think I don’t understand? I don’t waste energy worrying about things that haven’t happened. If something does happen, I’ll deal with it directly.”
There were already too many things in this world to care about.
Especially for her.
She had even more matters to handle than most people.
If she fretted and nitpicked over every possibility, life would be exhausting.
Besides, it didn’t matter how many flowers bloomed.
Was she supposed to go around plucking every flower that appeared beside Xiao Yunting?
The important thing was Xiao Yunting himself.
If this man could be trusted, then it didn’t matter how many flowers bloomed around him.
The two talked for quite a while before Qingfeng gently called from outside: “Your Highness.”
It was a reminder that it was time to depart.
This investigation had been assigned by Emperor Yongchang, who had also sent Vice Minister Zhang Zongbin from the Ministry of Justice.
In addition, a guard escort had been arranged.
Everyone was waiting.
Reluctantly, Xiao Yunting wrapped his arms around Qi Yuan.
For the first time in his life, he understood the saying: From this day forward, the ruler no longer attends morning court.*
* it originates from Bai Juyi’s poem “The Song of Everlasting Regret” to describe an emperor neglecting his duties due to intense infatuation with a concubine
The thought immediately made his blood surge in certain places.
Fortunately, his self-control had always been excellent.
Otherwise, he would have embarrassed himself.
After that realization, he no longer dared linger. He hurriedly left.
His sudden departure even puzzled Qi Zhen, who had come over intending to keep watch.
He asked Qi Yuan, “How come His Highness left so quickly?”
Usually he dragged things out until the very last moment before leaving.
Qi Yuan didn’t know why, but hearing that made her suddenly want to laugh.
And then she actually did.
Qi Zhen was left completely baffled.
Sigh.
Being a father was difficult.
A while ago, every day had been filled with hidden dangers and unpredictable schemes. Disaster could strike at any moment, and he had been worried sick.
Now things had finally settled down, all Xiao Yunting did was climb over the wall every day.
Then spend time being lovey-dovey with his daughter.
Yet somehow, Qi Zhen still didn’t feel relaxed at all.
Sigh. How much longer did he have to endure before seeing brighter days?
He asked Qi Yuan, “Yuan Jie’er, aren’t you going to see His Highness off?”
Xiao Yunting was leaving on official business.
He would be gone for such a long time.
Shouldn’t young lovers spend a little more time together?
Qi Yuan slowly shook her head. “No. I have things to do as well.”
He knew it!
Qi Zhen knew it!
Heavens above!
He had known it all along!
How could Yuan Jie’er possibly stay home obediently and do nothing?
Peaceful days simply could not last more than three days!
If they lasted longer than three days, something would be wrong!
His eyes immediately lit up. “Yuan Jie’er, who are you planning to kill this time?”
Forget constant worrying.
It would be better to participate proactively.
Maybe he could even help her accomplish more.
Just as the Old Marquis had said, one day Qi Yuan might become the most exalted person in the world, not merely the most exalted woman, but perhaps the most exalted person.
As her family, they couldn’t hold her back.
They needed to learn more from her.
Qi Yuan couldn’t help rolling her eyes.
She felt that this father was completely different from the man she had first met.
Back then, he had seemed stern and intimidating, like a fierce tiger.
Now, she glanced silently at Ah Huang, who was still squatting on the ground.
Suddenly she felt that the only difference between Qi Zhen and Ah Huang was that Ah Huang had a tail and Qi Zhen didn’t.
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