“Lord Shen,” Inspector Chen hurriedly explained. “There’s been a misunderstanding.”

“What misunderstanding?” He stepped through the door, his tall frame casting a shadow over their heads.

“She first slandered the court, so Deputy Minister Xu was just following the law in wanting to escort her to prison.”

“Yes, she spoke wild words first,” Deputy Minister Xu said stiffly.

Ruyi’s eyes were clear and completely innocent: “What did I say?”

“You first insulted the court, then cursed the officials who drafted the laws—are you denying it now?” Deputy Minister Xu glared.

Looking at him sympathetically, Ruyi turned to ask the doctor: “What did you diagnose?”

The old doctor at the medicine hall was already writing a prescription: “Confused memory, restless spirit, physical weakness with sweating, trembling eyeballs—these two lords indeed show signs of hysteria.”

Ruyi clapped her hands in understanding and asked Shen Qiyuan: “According to Great Qian’s laws, testimony from people with hysteria doesn’t count, right?”

Shen Qiyuan nodded.

“That’s good then.” She smiled brilliantly, then pouted grievously. “Naturally, I don’t acknowledge these charges. If my lord wants to accuse me, please provide evidence.”

“You—”

With both witnesses diagnosed with hysteria, what evidence could there be?

Inspector Chen saw that the situation was unfavorable and immediately reached out to grab Deputy Minister Xu.

“A misunderstanding,” he nodded to Shen Qiyuan. “Shaoqing is loyal to the sovereign and loves his country, but has an impatient temperament. Please show mercy, my lord.”

Shen Qiyuan laughed coldly.

How could someone truly loyal to the sovereign and loving their country make things difficult for a woman to escape blame?

Glancing at the doctor beside them, he didn’t want to say more here and just pulled Ruyi away.

For once, Ruyi wanted to act spoiled with him. As soon as she got in the carriage, she showed him the wound on her arm, looking pitiful: “It hurts.”

Shen Qiyuan gripped her wrist, his expression very grave: “I’m sorry.”

He was too serious—so serious that Ruyi couldn’t help but look at her hand again.

The wound was only slightly red and swollen, not even breaking the skin.

She couldn’t help but touch his knuckles: “It doesn’t hurt too badly, you…”

“I never thought my current position would implicate you.” he didn’t avoid her touch, but his voice was extremely low. “I was inconsiderate. It won’t happen again.”

His dark pupils lowered, fingers trembling slightly—he was truly remorseful.

Ruyi’s heart softened.

She hooked his chin up, her eyes shimmering: “Do you think I could be hurt?”

He pressed his lips slightly.

To live in the mortal world meant doing mortal things. If she were just an ordinary person, she would have suffered because of him today—how could he not feel remorse? Moreover, her serious injuries hadn’t healed yet. If those two had been more violent, she might not have escaped unscathed.

Shen Qiyuan disliked this feeling of implicating her. He hoped she would be safe and well-protected.

He turned his hand, wanting to use his spiritual power to heal her, but she withdrew her hand.

“Shen Qiyuan,” she crossed her legs and swayed her toes, smiling ambiguously. “You and I aren’t doing business.”

Though it was best for people to neither owe nor be owed by each other to avoid so many entanglements, if two people wanted to be together, it was better to have more entanglements—who wanted to calculate so clearly with him?

He stared at her blankly, as if not quite understanding.

Ruyi smiled helplessly: “No rush, I’ll teach you slowly.”

The little divine lord who didn’t understand matters of the heart was naive but truly adorable.

“First,” she pointed to her cheek. “Kiss here.”

Shen Qiyuan frowned, wanting to refuse, but considering he was in the wrong, he still stiffly leaned over and pecked her cheek.

Ruyi nodded with satisfaction: “Then repeat after me: ‘Qingqing, don’t panic, I’m here.'”

“I’m here,” he repeated seriously.

“Wrong.” She clicked her tongue.

He pressed his lips and tried again: “Don’t panic, I’m here.”

“You’re doing it on purpose, aren’t you?” She puffed out her cheeks and reached out to pinch his chin. “Can’t even say ‘Qingqing’?”

He kept his lips tightly closed, looking back at her deeply, but just wouldn’t speak.

Ruyi sighed deeply: “How are all the children nowadays so hard to fool?”

“I was born in the same year as you,” Shen Qiyuan said seriously. “I’m even half a month older than you.”

So what? She laughed disdainfully. Wasn’t he still just a child with only a thousand years of experience?

The carriage passed by an old mansion, and Ruyi suddenly tilted her eyes.

“What is it?” Shen Qiyuan asked keenly. “Are there demons?”

“No,” she smiled. “I just thought those eaves were built beautifully.”

Shen Qiyuan looked out the window and indeed saw flying eaves curving high upward, with stone-carved divine beasts perched on top. The entire mansion was clean and tidy, without any demonic aura.

He lowered his guard and said quietly, “The Prince of Pingbei’s murder case involves too many people. I can’t always visit you recently.”

Ruyi raised an eyebrow: “Is my lord asking me to take the initiative to find you?”

“No,” he said stubbornly.

She laughed, her thumb caressing the back of his hand: “I won’t mock you—why won’t you admit it?”

“It’s just that…” Looking back at the old mansion once more, Ruyi sighed. “What to do—I’ve been quite busy lately too, I’m afraid I can’t go to the Shen Manor.”

“If you can’t go, then don’t,” he feigned indifference, though his eyes dimmed.

Ruyi saw this but didn’t speak.

There was something more important to do now.

The two parted at the entrance of the Meeting Immortals Tavern. Shen Qiyuan continued back to the palace, and after Ruyi watched him leave, she returned along the original route to the outside of that old mansion.

Though there was no doorkeeper, the heavy door creaked open the instant she arrived.

Ruyi swept her eyes around, understanding flickering in their depths, then graciously gathered her skirt and stepped over the threshold, treading on flower petals scattered all over the ground.

The mottled door slowly closed behind her.

Winter was nearly over, yet Lin’an City was hit by an extremely cold, heavy snowfall. The snow wind howled, making He Tinglan shiver.

She added several pieces of silver charcoal to the brazier and asked the person on the soft couch puzzledly: “Why has our proprietor become even more reluctant to move lately?”

Ruyi, wrapped in thick felt, turned over and mumbled: “In such cold weather, I would have slept for several months in the past. Now it’s fine—I still have to worry about the tavern’s ingredient supplies.”

“Since Zhao Yanning and Fuman aren’t here, you can only work harder,” she smiled.

Ruyi pouted: “Let’s switch—I’ll go greet guests in front, and you supervise them moving goods in the back courtyard.”

He Tinglan’s eyes flickered: “It’s been quite chaotic in front lately, always encountering troublemakers. With your temper, proprietor, you’d inevitably offend people. I’d better guard the front.”

Ruyi looked at her sideways, feeling something wasn’t quite right.

These past few days, He Tinglan always prevented her from going to the main hall, urging her to leave quickly even when passing through, yet the main hall was fine, no disputes or fights visible.

Her eyes moving, Ruyi said lazily: “Fine, you go down first. I’ll go directly to the back courtyard via the side stairs later.”

He Tinglan agreed, took out her cloak, and set it aside for her, then went down to the main hall.

Ruyi followed behind her, silently standing at the stair landing between the main hall and the second floor.