Before long, the pattering raindrops… gradually grew heavier, falling with a rushing sound.

Chun Tao patted the raindrops off her shoulders, standing under the swaying lamplight as she poked her head out to search for Xiao Rongyan within Qinghui Courtyard, yet she couldn’t see even half a shadow of him. It was as if Xiao Rongyan, who had just been standing in the courtyard with her, was merely her illusion.

After standing stunned for a moment, Chun Tao raised her hand to pat the rainwater off her body, lifted the door curtain to enter, and tentatively called out softly: “Eldest Miss…”

“Did Xiao Rongyan leave?” Bai Qingyan parted the bed curtains, asking in a low voice.

“He’s already gone. I just went to open the courtyard gate of Qinghui Courtyard, and when I turned back, Master Xiao had disappeared…” Chun Tao still couldn’t quite process what had happened. If Bai Qingyan hadn’t asked about Xiao Rongyan, she would have truly thought she had been dreaming just now.

“Good that he’s gone!” Bai Qingyan released the bed curtains, stretching her body as she leaned against the hidden compartment. Listening to the raindrops outside the window pattering chaotically against the window lattice, it seemed to also disturb Bai Qingyan’s heart. She raised her hand to gently touch her lips that had been kissed crimson red by Xiao Rongyan. There was slight stinging pain, yet sweetness and uneasiness arose in her heart.

Having experienced her previous life, Bai Qingyan’s feelings toward Xiao Rongyan had once been… wariness, and even more so gratitude. But perhaps because the two had been in opposition, she had never imagined that one day she and Xiao Rongyan would be kindred spirits.

In her previous life…

Bai Qingyan rarely reminisced about her previous life anymore. Ever since awakening last December and discovering that Heaven had pitied her and granted her a second chance at life, she had worked diligently every day without daring to slack off, never thinking she would still have the opportunity to fall in love.

Although in her previous life, she and Xiao Rongyan had not been adversaries from the beginning, Bai Qingyan had also admired and appreciated Xiao Rongyan.

Perhaps at that time, her heart had already been moved, but she was unaware of it.

The heavy rain six days ago had washed the Capital City completely clean.

After finally enjoying clear skies and pleasant autumn breezes for several days, unexpectedly, a nighttime rain fell until dawn without stopping. The Capital City’s sky was once again shrouded in pitch-black clouds, making people feel suffocated just by looking at it, as if returning to October 15th when chaos erupted in the capital.

Lu Ping didn’t want to attract attention, so he only brought one guard to the entrance of Jiuchuan Hutong.

He dismounted, looking at the household before him with two old, yellowed lanterns bearing the character “Du” hanging at the entrance, then stepped forward to knock on the door.

The door opened, and out came an elderly man with silver hair, wearing slate-gray rough cloth and black cloth shoes.

Before Lu Ping could speak, the old man bowed deeply to Lu Ping, stepping aside from the doorway: “My lord, please…”

In the courtyard grew a maple tree transplanted from Qiu Mountain. The maple leaves had turned completely red, and when the wind passed… the ground was covered with the colors of sunset clouds.

Li Mingrui today wore pine-green brocade robes with a cape, sitting at a stone table reading, his entire bearing scholarly and refined. His eyebrows and eyes were delicate, vaguely showing traces of Li Mao’s appearance in his youth, extremely well-proportioned features.

On the stone table sat a three-legged bronze auspicious beast incense burner, from which wisps of light smoke drifted. From a distance… it seemed as if the young master reading there was about to ascend to immortality.

Beside him, a young servant knelt on a mat, brewing tea over a red clay stove with a very vigorous charcoal fire.

The young servant glanced at Lu Ping at the entrance and respectfully said to Li Mingrui: “Young Master, the guest has arrived.”

“I know!” Li Mingrui put down the book in his hands without getting up, smiling as he addressed Lu Ping, “Lord Lu, please come in for a cup of tea?”

Lu Ping turned back to instruct the Bai mansion guards to tie the horses to the tree trunk outside the courtyard and wait at the entrance, then entered the courtyard alone and sat opposite Li Mingrui.

Li Mingrui instructed the young servant to serve tea. Seeing Lu Ping staring at the maple leaves at his feet, he smiled and said to Lu Ping: “I’ve always loved the magnificent autumn scenery of Qiu Mountain’s maple leaves. When the bright sun shines… the entire mountain becomes brilliant gold and deep red, extremely beautiful! What a pity though… transplanting Qiu Mountain’s maple tree here, I feel these maple leaves have lost the charm they had on Qiu Mountain.”

Lu Ping was a rough man who had no patience for such things. He didn’t find Li Mingrui refined; instead, he thought this perfectly good grown man… why did his mannerisms seem so effeminate? He wasn’t even as heroic and spirited as the young ladies in their household.

Lu Ping didn’t know what he was thinking of, but suddenly his brow furrowed tightly as he looked up at Li Mingrui, who was gently fanning the incense burner with his hand and lowering his head to smell the fragrance…

Could it be that Li Mingrui thought their eldest miss would come today and wanted to use a honey trap?

Hah!

The slight contempt in Lu Ping’s heart showed on his face. This Li Mingrui wasn’t even as handsome as the young masters of the Bai family, much less as good-looking as that Master Xiao. Where did he get the courage to dare use a honey trap in front of their eldest miss?

Seeing Lu Ping’s mocking expression, Li Mingrui smiled and took the teapot handed to him by the young servant, pouring tea for Lu Ping: “I’ve made Lord Lu laugh. Ordinarily… this is just my hobby.”

Li Mingrui had received news last night that Bai Qingyan had personally gone to the prison to see the Nandu rebel general Wang Jianghai. Early this morning, someone had sent word that the Bai family wanted to meet. He guessed that the visitor would definitely not be Bai Qingyan, but most likely Guard Lu, so he hadn’t prepared seriously. Instead, he had prepared everything according to his usual preferences, not afraid of offending anyone.

Whether it was a hobby or not, Lu Ping didn’t care. He cut straight to the point: “My eldest miss says that since Lord Li is surrendering, my eldest miss will assign Lord Li a task! In the prison, the son of Nandu rebel general Wang Jianghai… Wang Qiulu, please find a way to rescue him and settle him well. Consider this our eldest miss’s sincerity in accepting Lord Li’s surrender.”

Li Mingrui’s hand paused while pouring tea, looking up at Lu Ping. Rescue Wang Qiulu and settle him well?

Last night Bai Qingyan had just gone to see Wang Jianghai, and Wang Jianghai died. Today Bai Qingyan wanted him to rescue Wang Jianghai’s son. Could it be that Bai Qingyan had reached some agreement with Wang Jianghai?

Don’t ask what shouldn’t be asked—Li Mingrui understood. Having him rescue and settle Wang Jianghai’s son was also Princess Zhenguo handing him a small handle.

However, whether this Princess Zhenguo was truly so careless as to hand over the rescued son of a treasonous rebel to him, or… whether Princess Zhenguo was being sincere in accepting his overtures, or… whether Princess Zhenguo wanted to use this treasonous rebel to harm the Li family.

Li Mingrui lowered his eyes. If Bai Qingyan held personal letters from his father and the princes in her hands, Li Mingrui felt it was more likely the second scenario.

He put down the teapot in his hands and nodded: “Please tell Princess Zhenguo that Mingrui will handle this matter! However… Mingrui doesn’t quite understand what constitutes properly arranging Wang Qiulu. To avoid misunderstanding and failing to handle things well, Mingrui should ask for clarification.”

“Lord Li is so wise, how could you not understand our eldest miss’s meaning? In any case… our eldest miss promised Wang Jianghai to save his son.” Lu Ping deliberately spoke vaguely.

Li Mingrui pondered this and nodded: “Very well. Please trouble Lord Lu to tell Princess Zhenguo that Mingrui will handle this matter properly.”