After watching Sheng Fengze disappear behind the Zhao family’s courtyard wall, Yang Jingyuan turned back. With Deputy Governor Niu present, even if Sheng Fengze wanted to meet others, he couldn’t leave the Zhao residence for too long. Or perhaps he only intended to visit the Ji family.

He returned through the back alley and arrived at the Ji family’s gate again. Should he go in now and get answers, or wait until Sheng Fengze left the Zhao residence? Once back at the Zhao residence, Sheng Fengze probably wouldn’t make any more moves. And Sang Shisi was watching at the alley entrance… After thinking it through, Yang Jingyuan resolutely stepped forward and knocked on the door.

The gatekeeper, Uncle Tian, recognized Yang Jingyuan and enthusiastically invited him in.

“Ji Yingying, please don’t disappoint me.” Yang Jingyuan sat in the front hall waiting for Ji Yaoting, remembering the night he had pretended to be drunk to stay at the Ji residence.

Ji Yingying’s charming and lively image invaded his heart, leaving behind lingering feelings of both sweetness and bitterness. She couldn’t be in collusion with Sheng Fengze and hiding things from him—she must have her reasons, right? He should trust her. If she were truly calculating, she wouldn’t have failed to see through Zhao Xiuyuan’s facade. But could she have been deceived by Sheng Fengze too? For the handsome and noble White King of Nanzhao, deceiving an inexperienced young woman would be child’s play. When Sheng Fengze first came to Yizhou Prefecture concealing his identity, how did he and Ji Yingying meet? What happened between them?

Love breeds anxiety. Though Yang Jingyuan could see through his stepmother’s thoughts, he was now blinded by a single leaf, various strange ideas flooding his mind, so much so that he didn’t even notice when Ji Yaoting entered.

“Third Young Master, why have you come?”

It wasn’t that Ji Yaoting was being overly suspicious. Yang Jingyuan’s timing was too coincidental. Sheng Fengze had said that his mother was taking secret medicine from Nanzhao and that he had come in haste without bringing medicine for Lady Ji. He would come again at midnight. As long as they gave her the medicinal pills daily, Lady Ji would naturally wake up in a month, and her health would be better than before. The condition was that before his return to Nanzhao, the Ji family must keep silent about past events. Sheng Fengze smiled and said, “After this prince leaves Yizhou, it will be up to you.”

This condition wasn’t harsh for the Ji family. Thinking of their mother, both Ji Yaoting and Ji Yingying preferred to temporarily submit and keep quiet. Especially since Sheng Fengze would come to deliver medicine at midnight, Ji Yaoting was worried that Yang Jingyuan might come to stay overnight again.

When someone unaccustomed to lying tells a lie, their eyes dart around nervously. To Yang Jingyuan, Ji Yaoting’s eyes seemed to shift even while asking this ordinary question. Yes, when Sheng Fengze came to the Ji family, Ji Yaoting had been present. He knew about it too.

Yang Jingyuan suddenly felt relieved. He was startled to realize that what had made him nervous and afraid was the possibility that Ji Yingying and Sheng Fengze shared a secret they couldn’t tell him. When had he started caring so much about Ji Yingying? This realization made his heart contract slightly, filling him with a faint sadness.

He had already begun thinking of her as his wife, the person he cared about most. Did she feel the same way about him?

Yang Jingyuan impulsively said, “Brother, I want to see Yingying.”

Ji Yaoting hesitated before saying, “Do you have something important to discuss? There aren’t many days left until the wedding.”

It was considered unlucky for betrothed couples to meet before the wedding. Yang Jingyuan thought to himself, who knows how many times they’d already met. After some consideration, he said, “I’ll just speak with her briefly from behind a screen, then leave.”

Seeing his insistence, Ji Yaoting had no choice. If he didn’t let him see his sister, what if he refused to leave? Better to send Yang Jingyuan away quickly. He instructed Ji Ying to inform Ji Yingying and led Yang Jingyuan to the back courtyard.

After passing the screen wall and reaching the small courtyard’s entrance, Ji Yaoting turned and said, “You can speak with her here at the door.”

The wooden door was tightly closed. Yang Jingyuan smiled bitterly. This was even worse than climbing over the wall at night. He strode forward and after a moment’s thought called out, “Yingying, are you there?”

“What is it? Go ahead and speak.” Separated by the thin courtyard door, without having to see Yang Jingyuan, Ji Yingying felt less nervous. She thought the same as Ji Yaoting—if they could just hold out until Sheng Fengze returned to Nanzhao, their mother would wake up, and the Ji family would return to their peaceful life of before. With Yang Jingyuan and Sheng Fengze arriving one after another, she felt uneasy, thinking Yang Jingyuan’s timing was too coincidental.

Hearing her voice, Yang Jingyuan suddenly didn’t know how to ask her.

When Ji Yingying didn’t hear his voice, she urged, “Brother said you had something to discuss with me. Why aren’t you speaking?”

“Nothing really, I was just passing by and wanted to see how you were. Are you well? Has anything… happened at home?”

Sheng Fengze had come and gone. The Ji siblings must know about it. Yang Jingyuan hoped Ji Yingying would tell him voluntarily.

“No, everything’s fine at home.”

Ji Yingying’s quick response left Yang Jingyuan deeply disappointed. His hand touched the wooden door—he wanted to look into Ji Yingying’s eyes, to see if she was being as evasive as Ji Yaoting.

“We’re just a modest household, what could happen?” Ji Yingying ground her foot against the grass growing between the stone slabs, feeling increasingly guilty. It wasn’t that she wanted to hide things from him. Once this period passed, everything would be fine. If she told him and he confronted Sheng Fengze in anger, what would happen to her mother? Could he even win against Sheng Fengze?

Yang Jingyuan made one last hopeful attempt: “Sheng Fengze isn’t a good person. If he comes to see you, you must tell me.”

After a while, he heard Ji Yingying’s soft response: “I know.”

Even though she knew, she still kept it from him. Yang Jingyuan’s hand fell limply: “I’m leaving. Take care of yourself.”

When there was no more sound from outside, Ji Yingying called out to him several times but received no answer. She opened the courtyard door, but Yang Jingyuan was already gone.

Soon after, Ji Yaoting returned from seeing Yang Jingyuan off and found his sister standing lost in thought at the courtyard entrance. He sighed, “The fewer complications, the better. Telling him would mean explaining everything from before, and his knowing wouldn’t help the mother recover. Just endure it a little longer and it will pass.”

“But brother, I feel uneasy. Third Young Master Yang’s timing was too coincidental, his words seemed pointed. He might misunderstand me.”

Ji Yaoting stroked her hair and said, “That won’t happen. Sheng Fengze comes and goes like a shadow—Yang Third Young Master just happened to pass by. He won’t know about this. We just need to endure for a month and it will all be over. We’ll all forget about that person. Tonight, move to the main room to keep Mother company. I’ll come over at midnight.”

Ji Yingying trusted her intuition but couldn’t overcome her brother’s insistence. She could explain everything to Yang Jingyuan later: “Brother, don’t come over. It’s so late, that my sister-in-law might become suspicious. You finally convinced her not to go to the Yang family to plead with the First Madam. Besides Nanny Tian, three other nannies and Ling’er and Xiang’er will be with me tonight. He’s just coming to deliver medicine, nothing will happen. If anything occurs, Nanny Wu will send you word.”

Ji Yaoting insisted, “How could I not worry? I’ll come over after your sister-in-law falls asleep. If she becomes suspicious, I’ll say I’m concerned about mother.” He looked at his sister tenderly and said, “You and Fourth Miss are still young. You shouldn’t have to worry about these things.”

“I’m fine,” Ji Yingying made a funny face and said with a smile, “I’ll go take a nap so I’ll be alert tonight.”

Watching his sister return to her room, Ji Yaoting mumbled, “Your brother is selfish and cowardly. Even though I can see that scoundrel coveting you, I can only endure it.”

He had never had grand ambitions. Managing the Huanhua Dyeing House and earning a comfortable living through honest work was enough. In the future, having several children with Zhang Fourth Miss and growing old peacefully would be sufficient.

Yearning for the Ji family’s former modest contentment, hoping things would pass and life would return to normal, Ji Yaoting chose to stop his sister from revealing the truth to Yang Jingyuan out of wishful thinking.

Between Yang Jingyuan’s misunderstanding of his sister and their mother and the Ji family’s peaceful life, Ji Yaoting chose the latter.