"My, my, look at the sky, it's later than I thought!" Hong Dai yawned. "I'm so sleepy. You two chat slowly, I'm going to bed!"
With that, she quickly slipped into her room and closed the door with a "bang."
Li Yue Shu: "..."
She could dodge tonight, but could she dodge tomorrow?
Li Yue Shu gritted her teeth and decided to deal with the immediate issue first.
Ji Quan Si had left, but the black-clad figures behind Mo Yu Lin remained, showing no intention of leaving.
They stared expressionlessly at Li Yue Shu and Qin Mo Yuan, as if waiting for a single command to rush forward.
Li Yue Shu and Qin Mo Yuan, however, acted as if they didn't see these people, calmly looking at Mo Yu Lin, waiting for him to speak.
Today's Mo Yu Lin had clearly and deliberately revealed his power in front of them, not even hiding it from Ji Quan Si.
But Ji Quan Si had apparently long known about his hidden strength, and had simply not exposed it.
Now, for reasons unknown, both of them had shed their pretenses in front of them.
Mo Yu Lin smiled and waved his hand, dismissing all the black-clad guards.
"I've heard quite a bit about Madam Shen of Heng De Pharmacy. Madam Shen is truly a legendary figure."
Li Yue Shu responded with a polite smile to his pleasantries, "I am merely a businesswoman."
"A businesswoman wouldn't have the Crown Prince personally request assistance in taking care of her woman."
Mo Yu Lin's gaze was probing, "You two traveled all this way from Qing Yan Kingdom for the Crown Princess, is that right?"
This was merely his speculation. After all, ever since he had discovered their movements, their destination had been clear: straight to Rui Jing.
Mo Yu Lin knew that someone had recently been investigating him and He Xiao Yu, and naturally connected them to these two.
Li Yue Shu did not deny it. "I bear no ill will towards the Crown Princess. I only wished to see her in person, having heard she bears a striking resemblance to a friend of mine."
As she spoke, she met Mo Yu Lin's scrutinizing gaze with a sense of openness.
The atmosphere fell silent for a moment. Mo Yu Lin's expression remained unreadable, making it impossible to tell if he believed her words.
After a long pause, Mo Yu Lin finally spoke, "My ailing body now depends on Madam Shen. Whether I live or die matters little; it's merely to bring my sister peace."
Mentioning He Xiao Yu, his expression softened noticeably.
But then, his gaze turned cold again. "The only person I care about in this life is my sister. If anyone dares to harm her, even if I die, my subordinates will relentlessly seek justice for her!"
At these words, Li Yue Shu instantly understood why he had chosen to reveal his power to them today.
Li Yue Shu couldn't help but chuckle softly, "You are truly devoted to He Xiao Yu."
She no longer referred to her as the Crown Princess, for she knew that in Mo Yu Lin's heart, He Xiao Yu was simply He Xiao Yu.
Although this He Xiao Yu was not the Xiao Yu she knew, seeing someone treat her with such genuine devotion brought Li Yue Shu joy.
Mo Yu Lin smiled warmly, his voice, as sweet and innocent as a child's, filled with unwavering resolve, "I am, of course, sincere towards my sister."
He glanced at Qin Mo Yuan, then his gaze settled back on Li Yue Shu. "Madam Shen, regardless of your identities, and no matter your relationship with Ji Quan Si, my sister is my bottom line."
He knew these two were not simple, and that his cultivated forces might not be their match. But for his sister's sake, he wouldn't hesitate, even if it meant challenging a mighty force like a mantis trying to stop a chariot.
Li Yue Shu raised an eyebrow. "Young Master Mo, rest assured, we are not interested in Qing Yan Kingdom's affairs. Helping you detoxify was solely because of He Xiao Yu's face."
This was all she could say. Whether he believed it or not was up to Mo Yu Lin.
Mo Yu Lin didn't comment on whether he believed her, merely giving them a deep look before saying, "It's getting late. You two should also get some rest!"
Watching his unhesitating retreating back, Li Yue Shu nudged the person beside her. "A Yuan, do you think he believed my words?"
"Whether he believes it or not is none of our concern," Qin Mo Yuan said, grabbing her playfully poking hand. "Since this He Xiao Yu is not the person you are looking for, we can head back once Mo Yu Lin is cured."
Upon their return, he would need to plan his own matters.
Li Yue Shu, not noticing the expression in the eyes of the person beside her, nodded in agreement.
"That's right. However, we still need to clarify what Hong Dai was hiding from us," Li Yue Shu recalled Ji Quan Si's parting words. "I have a feeling she and Ji Quan Si have dug a pit for us."
Qin Mo Yuan felt the same, though he already had a general idea.
Looking at the person beside him, Qin Mo Yuan's gaze shifted. "Actually, their situation is not hard to guess."
Li Yue Shu looked up in confusion, waiting for him to continue. But Qin Mo Yuan simply adjusted the cloak she was wearing. "It's cold outside, let's go inside and talk."
Trusting him implicitly and with her mind preoccupied with Hong Dai's matter, Li Yue Shu didn't think much and followed Qin Mo Yuan back to their room.
Qin Mo Yuan closed the door and retrieved a still-warm hand warmer from the bed. "A Shu, you can also see that Ji Quan Si and Hong Dai have mutual feelings for each other, right?"
Li Yue Shu took the hand warmer, nodding.
She had known this before coming to Qing Yan Kingdom, but she couldn't figure out Ji Quan Si's reason for wanting to send Hong Dai away.
Having spent so much time together, Qin Mo Yuan immediately saw her confusion and explained, "Although Ji Quan Si is the Crown Prince of Qing Yan, the Empress has no children and he was adopted. There has always been a rift between him and the Empress."
"Ji Quan Si's birth mother was originally a palace maid attending the Empress. She took advantage of the Qing Yan Emperor's drunken state. The Empress, needing a child to solidify her position, feigned ignorance. After the palace maid became pregnant, she employed the tactic of 'removing the mother and keeping the child'."
"The Empress has always wanted to marry her niece to Ji Quan Si, but Ji Quan Si himself chose Prime Minister He, who has always remained neutral."
At this point, Li Yue Shu naturally had a rough idea of the situation.
Since Ji Quan Si was the楼主 (Lou Zhu - Master/Lord) of Chi Yun Lou, it wouldn't be difficult for him to investigate his background, making his position as Crown Prince unstable.
Within the Qing Yan royal family, he and the Empress needed to rely on each other. But if he didn't want to be constantly constrained by the Empress, he had to cultivate his own power within the court.
Setting aside what happened in secret, Prime Minister He was clearly a representative of the open confrontation between Ji Quan Si and the Empress.
"So, Ji Quan Si sent Hong Dai away to protect her?"
This was the most logical explanation Li Yue Shu could come up with.
But Ji Quan Si, as the楼主 of Chi Yun Lou, surely it would be better to hide Hong Dai within Chi Yun Lou rather than driving her away?
Qin Mo Yuan pursed his lips. "Perhaps only they themselves know the answer to this matter."
Li Yue Shu understood this as well and decided that she must find an opportunity to question Hong Dai thoroughly tomorrow.
However, another matter came to mind. "A Yuan, what do you think Ji Quan Si meant when he asked us to take care of Hong Dai just now?"