Li Yue Shu turned her head in surprise, her delicate eyebrows furrowed. "But you..."
Qin Mo Yuan smiled faintly and shook his head. "Hong Dai is not my person. As the Regent, I naturally wouldn't protect Ji Quan Si's woman. But you are my lover, and you are the only one I will protect."
Li Yue Shu's eyes lit up, and she understood immediately.
Her protecting Hong Dai was a different matter from Qin Mo Yuan protecting her.
Those people who wanted to trouble Hong Dai, Qin Mo Yuan would not intervene.
But if anyone dared to trouble her, Qin Mo Yuan would not stand idly by.
Li Yue Shu's heart was filled with joy, but also with some worry. "Even so, what if those people don't believe you won't interfere?"
Qin Mo Yuan chuckled and slipped the token into her hand. "Leave these matters to me to handle, A Shu. You just need to do your own thing with peace of mind."
"Tsk tsk tsk," Hong Dai habitually quipped, "When you two show off your affection, you really don't care about the lives of those around you."
Qin Mo Yuan cast her a nonchalant glance and said nothing more.
Li Yue Shu didn't stand on ceremony and accepted the token.
Since Qin Mo Yuan said he could handle it, she would accept his good intentions.
After placing the token into her spatial dimension, Li Yue Shu looked at Hong Dai again and asked the biggest question in her heart: "Sister Hong Dai, you said Ji Quan Si drove you away to protect you, but he is the Lord of Chi Yun Lou after all. Even if he didn't keep you in Rui Jing, he could have kept you in Chi Yun Lou. Why did he have to drive you away?"
Mentioning this, Hong Dai pouted. "Does little Yue Shu know the current situation in Qing Yan Kingdom?"
This, Li Yue Shu truly did not know.
Her purpose in coming to Qing Yan Kingdom was for He Xiao Yu, and she had only investigated He Xiao Yu's situation. At most, she had learned a little about Mo Yu Lin, and was naturally unfamiliar with the affairs of Qing Yan Kingdom.
Hong Dai glanced at Qin Mo Yuan, and seeing that the latter seemed uninterested in speaking, she continued herself. "Although Qing Yan Kingdom is a great nation comparable to Chen Nan Kingdom, it is actually already rotten from within."
As she spoke, she looked at Qin Mo Yuan. "The royal family of Qing Yan Kingdom is not like the royal family of Chen Nan Kingdom, with a Regent in charge. No matter how fierce the competition among various factions, they would not dare to harm the foundation of the nation."
Because if anyone dared to do anything that harmed Chen Nan Kingdom, Qin Mo Yuan would not let them off easily.
The Regent's fearsome reputation was not just for show.
Li Yue Shu also looked at the person beside her, feeling a sense of pride.
"As expected of the man I fancy!"
Qin Mo Yuan's lips curved upwards, smiling like a child who had received praise.
Hong Dai's face twitched: "..."
She felt as though she had already eaten her fill without having had breakfast.
Hong Dai rolled her eyes and continued, "Ji Quan Si, this Crown Prince, was put forward by the Empress. He has no other path."
"Although Chi Yun Lou is the number one intelligence organization in the world, it is ultimately a martial arts organization. If he wants to be emperor, Ji Quan Si cannot rely solely on Chi Yun Lou."
She paused and added, "Someone has already discovered Chi Yun Lou. No matter where I am, it is dangerous, but he cannot have any weaknesses now."
Hong Dai sighed. "Little Yue Shu, you are so smart, you should understand that in his position, he must plan ten steps ahead for every single move."
"If I were to stay by his side forever, he would inevitably face a situation where he would have to choose between me and that position."
No one could guarantee they would always be flawless, and Ji Quan Si was no exception.
Therefore, he had to drive Hong Dai away.
After understanding everything, Li Yue Shu couldn't help but sigh. "In that case, Ji Quan Si truly cares about you."
Driving Hong Dai away and facing all the dangers alone was enough to show how much Ji Quan Si cared about her.
However, from Hong Dai's perspective, this was unfair to her.
But looking at Hong Dai's demeanor last night, she had clearly forgiven Ji Quan Si.
As if thinking of something, Li Yue Shu suddenly turned to Qin Mo Yuan beside her. "What do you think of what Ji Quan Si did?"
"Very foolish," Qin Mo Yuan replied without hesitation. "To protect the person he loves through harm, it is extremely foolish in my opinion."
He then looked earnestly at Li Yue Shu. "If it were me, I would tell A Shu clearly about the situation I was facing."
"If you want to stay, I will shield you from all dangers. If you want to leave, I will make arrangements for your journey to the ends of the earth."
Hearing his words, Li Yue Shu's smile deepened, while Hong Dai's expression grew increasingly crestfallen.
Damn it, she suddenly felt that Ji Quan Si was an infuriating man!
Just then, Mother Mo knocked on the door. "Miss, lunch is ready. Shall I bring it in?"
Although they were staying in Mo Yu Lin's residence, Li Yue Shu and the others ate their own meals separately.
Li Yue Shu was already feeling hungry and stood up, rubbing her stomach. "Bring it in. I'm starving."
Since entering the spatial dimension and seeing the recipes left by Xiao Yu, Mother Mo's cooking skills had improved by leaps and bounds, spoiling Li Yue Shu's palate.
Because of this, she immediately tasted something wrong with the three-delicacy soup on the table.
She looked up at Mother Mo. "Aunt Mo, did you make this soup?"
Mother Mo shook her head with a smile. "It wasn't me..."
She turned to Hong Dai, but before she could finish, Hong Dai quickly interjected, "It was me, it was me! I made it early this morning and kept it warm in the kitchen. How does it taste?"
After sending the token away, Hong Dai's tense nerves relaxed considerably, and she regained her usual lazy and alluring demeanor.
But now, looking at Li Yue Shu, her expression was full of anticipation and nervousness.
Li Yue Shu raised an eyebrow, instantly understanding that this was a special dish prepared by Hong Dai to apologize for their conversation today.
She had to admit, the sincerity was overflowing.
Li Yue Shu nodded and scooped another bowl. "Although it's not as good as Aunt Mo's, it tastes quite good."
Hong Dai proudly raised her chin. "Of course, who do you think made it!"
Mother Mo by the side smiled without saying a word.
Only she knew how many failed attempts were in the kitchen's slop bucket.
"By the way, there's one more thing I forgot to tell you," Hong Dai suddenly remembered something and said, "Although He Xiao Yu is the Crown Princess, there is no affection between her and Ji Quan Si. Her efforts to make everyone know she is the Crown Princess are all at Prime Minister He's behest."
Li Yue Shu had originally planned not to bother with He Xiao Yu's affairs anymore, but upon hearing this, she couldn't help but feel a surge of curiosity.
From what He Xiao Yu had said before, she only cared about the position of Crown Princess, not Ji Quan Si, the Crown Prince.
"Prime Minister He and Madam He are truly despicable people!"
Thinking of the news Ji Quan Si had told her, Hong Dai couldn't help but feel a twinge of sympathy for He Xiao Yu.
"He Xiao Yu's arrogance and imperiousness are all orchestrated by Prime Minister He," Hong Dai said with disdain. "Prime Minister He's current achievements are thanks to the help of Madam He's family."
"Madam He only has one daughter, He Xiao Yu. To keep Madam He in check, Prime Minister He intentionally raised He Xiao Yu with such a temperament."
As she spoke, Hong Dai even put down her chopsticks. "He intentionally ruined He Xiao Yu, and not only did he raise He Xiao Yu as a spoiled child, but he also treated her as a stepping stone for He Xue Bao."
Li Yue Shu asked in confusion, "What do you mean by that?"