Inside the room!

Wei Yi crouched on the ground. Because light suddenly shone in from outside, he squinted his eyes slightly. After a long while, he opened his somewhat weary eyes and could see clearly who had entered!

Jing Xuan?

That willful princess.

Ever since encountering that princess, he had suffered no small amount of bullying.

Jing Xuan was carrying a lantern as she slowly walked in. Meeting his gaze, she then slowly shifted it, her eyes falling on the bamboo he was weaving in his hands. Beside him were some paper and writing materials that Sui’er had prepared for him.

“Why are you here?” Jing Xuan asked him.

He lowered his head, shook it once, and continued making the lantern in his hands, as if the person standing before him was transparent.

If this had been the Jing Xuan of the past, she would certainly have gone up and snatched what he was holding.

But now, she was no longer that brainless, stupid fool from before.

Seeing that Wei Yi wouldn’t answer her, she crouched down and placed the lantern beside her!

“Wei Yi?”

No response.

“Didn’t you already leave the capital? Why have you appeared in the capital again? And ended up here?”

The movements of Wei Yi’s hands stopped. He looked up at her. “I don’t know!”

“You don’t know? Then what about Master Ji? What about my Seventh Imperial Brother?”

“I don’t know.” His gaze was very firm.

He truly didn’t know.

Moreover, he was very clear in his heart that not a single person in the imperial palace was worth trusting, not even this woman before his eyes.

In Jing Xuan’s heart, it was as if a huge smoke bomb had been planted. What exactly had happened in all of this?

Was it related to Wei Yi?

Was it related to her mother consort?

She pondered in her heart when suddenly, her whole body trembled, as if she had understood something.

Matters related to Wei Yi were related to Ji Yunshu. Matters related to Ji Yunshu were related to Jing Rong.

And matters related to her mother consort were related to Jing Yi!

Then, matters related to Jing Rong and Jing Yi could only be… factional strife!

Her mind rapidly arrived at this conclusion.

Beyond her shock, Jing Xuan also felt a wave of disgust at what her mother consort and imperial brother had done.

She comforted Wei Yi, “Don’t be afraid. I’ll find an opportunity to let you leave.”

“Go where?” Wei Yi suddenly turned his head to ask her.

Yes!

Go where?

“In any case, I won’t let you become their chess piece. I bullied you before—that was wrong of me. Consider this my repayment of what I owe you.”

“All right.” He agreed readily.

Those eyes, though weary, no longer showed that foolish, blank expression from before.

Jing Xuan became aware of something. Her expression darkened. “You…”

The words stuck in her throat.

But Wei Yi asked her nonchalantly, “I want to make sky lanterns. Can you help me?”

This pulled Jing Xuan’s thoughts back. She didn’t continue thinking further, only nodding slightly. “All right, I’ll help you.”

So she also sat down beside Wei Yi like a child, helping him weave bamboo and paste paper…

For so long, it had been so long since she had been like this!

She truly wished time could stop at this very moment.

After helping him make the sky lantern about halfway, Jing Xuan propped herself up to stand, saying, “I need to go. Tomorrow night I’ll come again to help you finish the lantern.”

Wei Yi bent his head in hard work!

He didn’t speak.

Jing Xuan then relit the lamp in the room that had been extinguished and placed it by his hand.

She gave a few more instructions.

Then silently carried her own lantern and left. When closing the door, she touched that ice-cold lock, hesitated for a long while, but still locked it.

She left!

The next day, Jing Xuan summoned Sui’er and gave her two packages.

“Inside here are tian guo. You take one package, and send the remaining package to Wei Yi. He likes to eat them.”

Although Sui’er didn’t know why, she still hurried to carry it out.

When she ran over to deliver the items to Wei Yi, she said, “The princess had me bring these to you.”

Wei Yi didn’t even glance at them.

“You don’t like them?”

He shook his head.

“You do like them?”

He shook his head again!

This confused Sui’er completely. “The princess is really good to you, and I think the princess isn’t bad at all! They all say the princess used to bully you often.”

Heh.

Wei Yi smiled at her. “You really like her?”

Sui’er nodded. “Mm, the princess is quite good to me. She’s rewarded me with many things. Look, these tian guo are also a reward from the princess. The princess also said that when she marries and goes to Huyi, she’ll take me along as part of her dowry. It’ll be much better than now.”

Silly girl!

Wei Yi was slightly surprised. “She’s getting married?”

“Mm, marrying the Third Prince of Huyi. When the Third Prince becomes the King of Huyi, the princess will be the queen, and I’ll be someone by the queen’s side. How prestigious!”  Sui’er’s eyes shone with radiance.

Wei Yi lowered his head, looking at the sky lantern that Jing Xuan had helped him weave yesterday by his hand. Only half was completed, and its appearance was extremely unsightly.

Seeing that he had stopped talking—

“Wei Yi?”

Sui’er called out to him.

He raised his head and said, “I don’t like eating tian guo. You take them.”

“But the princess said you love eating them.”

“That was before. I don’t like them now.”

“Then I’m really taking them?”

“Mm-hmm.”

Sui’er hugged the tian guo, smiling with indescribable joy. She took one out from inside, peeled it, and stuffed it directly into her mouth.

One after another!

“Really delicious.”

Wei Yi watched her look so satisfied and felt that he had given his tian guo to the right person.

He smiled secretly, which happened to be seen by Sui’er.

That smile was truly beautiful.

Sui’er walked before him holding the fruit, crouched down, and said, “Wei Yi, if you can leave the palace, will you think of me?”

She blinked her eyes at him.

Wei Yi didn’t answer her.

Sui’er was somewhat disappointed and could only leave holding that package of tian guo.

Only Wei Yi remained in the room. He stared at the faintly flickering candlelight on the table, closed his eyes, and leaned against the pillar behind him.

Not knowing how much time had passed, he finally opened his eyes. His hand reached into his chest and pulled out a small booklet.

On it was clearly written “Records of Yunshu”!

It was the calligraphy piece that Ji Yunshu had left at the Jinjiang yamen.

He gripped it tightly in his hand without opening it to look.

Only sighing silently and soundlessly.

That night, Jing Xuan came again.

Just like last night, carrying that lantern, still helping Wei Yi make the lantern.

Both worked silently.

After a long while, Wei Yi turned his head to glance at her and asked, “Sui’er said you’re going to Huyi? To be queen?”

“Mm.”

“Will you come back?”

“I won’t come back.”

Wei Yi’s expression froze for a moment, then returned to normal shortly after.

The two didn’t speak further and continued working on that sky lantern with their hands.

Half an hour later, it was finally completed.

Although its appearance wasn’t very good, at least it had taken shape.

“Can you let me go outside to release this sky lantern?” Wei Yi pleaded.

Jing Xuan had concerns, because she had come over secretly when no one was around. If she took him out to release the sky lantern, it would certainly attract attention.

But—

She still agreed.

The two carried that sky lantern out together and placed it in the courtyard.

After Wei Yi wrote something on it, he lit the sky lantern and it rose into the sky.

On the other side!

When Duan’er entered Jing Xuan’s bedchamber and looked, she discovered there was no one on the bed at all. She immediately became anxious and quickly called over several young palace maids.

“Where is the princess?”

The palace maids all shook their heads. They didn’t know.

“Then what are you standing around for? Hurry and look!”

The palace maids were about to go when Duan’er added, “Keep your voices down. Don’t alarm Her Ladyship yet.”

“Yes.”

Everyone then carried lanterns and began searching throughout Zhang Zhi Hall. Some went outside to search.

But even after searching several times, they couldn’t find anyone.