Inside the rear hall of Zhangyao Palace.

Wei Yi paced back and forth outside, constantly glancing toward the entrance.

He had originally been waiting outside Prince Rong’s mansion for Ji Yunshu to return, but who knew the palace would send someone to fetch him under the pretext of looking for Ji Yunshu and bring him into the palace.

As Prince Rong’s close guard, Lang Bo naturally couldn’t refuse the princess’s orders and could only watch helplessly as Wei Yi was taken away.

“Why hasn’t Shu’er arrived yet?”

Wei Yi had been watching for a long time!

After pacing in place for quite a while, he stepped backward.

His back suddenly bumped into someone!

Clang clang—

The sound of beads falling to the ground.

Wei Yi panicked. Turning around, he saw an old woman crouching down to pick things up.

Scattered beads were everywhere.

“I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to. I’m sorry, let me help you pick them up.”

He quickly crouched down to help gather those aquatic-colored beads.

“It’s this old servant’s fault for bumping into the young master.” The old woman spoke breathlessly, keeping her head deeply bowed as her aged, wrinkled hands trembled while picking up the beads one by one and placing them into a wooden box.

Wei Yi hurriedly waved his hands. “No, it was me who bumped into you, granny. It was my fault, not yours!”

The old woman lifted her head. Her temples were graying, her face sallow and thin, covered in wrinkles and looking extremely haggard.

“Please let this old servant pick them up myself.”

“It’s fine, I’ll help you pick them up, granny.”

Wei Yi’s hands and feet were quite nimble. He wiped the scattered beads clean on his clothing before placing them in the box.

After all the beads had been gathered, he carefully helped the old woman stand up.

“Are you alright, granny?”

“This old servant is fine. Thank you, young master.”

“It’s nothing!” Wei Yi showed a bright smile.

The old woman held the box in her hands with a kind expression and bowed slightly.

“There’s still one on the ground.” Wei Yi called out again and quickly bent down to pick it up.

As he bent over, the back of his neck was exposed, revealing a petal-shaped red birthmark.

The old woman happened to see it!

“This birthmark?”

The old woman’s kind face suddenly showed undisguised astonishment.

Wei Yi straightened up, wiped the blue bead on his sleeve, tossed it into the box, and said with a smile, “Granny, there, all picked up.”

“The birthmark on your neck?”

“Birthmark?” Wei Yi reached back to touch his neck and quickly said, “Granny, are you talking about the birthmark on my neck?”

The old woman’s lips trembled as she nodded woodenly.

“Oh, Mother said I was born with this.”

“Born with it?” The old woman’s voice was faint. Her eyes, which could barely open, widened in surprise. Her body trembling, she asked, “Young master, may this old servant take another look at that birthmark?”

“Of course!”

Wei Yi immediately bent down, pushing his hair aside so the old woman could see more clearly.

The petal-shaped red birthmark was clearly visible.

The old woman’s eyes suddenly reddened. Her legs went weak and she staggered backward several steps. The box in her hands fell to the ground.

Clang clang—

The beads rolled everywhere across the floor!

“Granny, the beads fell again.”

Wei Yi cried out in alarm and got down on the ground again to pick them up one by one.

He didn’t notice the old woman’s expression at all.

At that moment, several palace maids in the hall happened to see this and hurried over to help pick up the beads.

The lead palace maid pulled the old woman aside and said, “Nanny Zhang, didn’t I tell you to take these beads to the Wardrobe Bureau? Why are you still here?”

“I…”

“Forget it, forget it. I’ll have Kui’er deliver them instead. How troublesome.” The palace maid sighed and shook her head.

After the beads were all tossed back into the box, the lead palace maid had someone quickly take Nanny Zhang away.

Before leaving, Nanny Zhang kept looking back at Wei Yi with tears glistening in her eyes.

Wei Yi scratched his head, confused!

“Young Master Wei, the princess has instructed that you wait inside the hall.” The palace maid said.

“Didn’t you say you were bringing me to find Shu’er? Why hasn’t Shu’er come yet?” Wei Yi was getting anxious.

“This servant doesn’t know. I only know the princess told us servants to take good care of Young Master Wei.”

“But I want to find Shu’er!”

“This…”

The palace maid didn’t know how to respond.

Just then, someone outside the hall called out “Princess.”

Wei Yi immediately looked toward the sound and spotted Ji Yunshu beside Jing Xuan.

“Shu’er!”

He called out happily and rushed over.

Ji Yunshu’s foot had just stepped inside when she saw Wei Yi charging toward her. She was used to this and didn’t need to dodge.

Except—

Jing Xuan immediately spread her arms wide and blocked him solidly.

Fortunately, Wei Yi stopped in time, otherwise he would have crashed into Jing Xuan.

“You’re a grown man, why do you always act so delicate and throw yourself into other people’s arms!” Jing Xuan glared at him.

Wei Yi pouted. “I wasn’t hugging you.”

“You can’t hug Master Ji either.”

“Hmph!”

Ji Yunshu quickly went around Jing Xuan and grabbed Wei Yi’s arm, asking worriedly, “Wei Yi, are you alright?”

“I’m fine, Shu’er, don’t worry. But you were gone for so long and didn’t come back. I waited for you at the gate for a long time.”

As long as he was alright! Ji Yunshu breathed a sigh of relief, then turned to question Jing Xuan. “Princess, what exactly are you trying to do? Why did you bring Wei Yi into the palace?”

Jing Xuan threw a little tantrum and ordered the nearby palace maids, “You all may leave.”

“Yes!”

The palace maids withdrew!

Only then did Jing Xuan look at Ji Yunshu with a pained expression and say, “If I hadn’t used Wei Yi to threaten you, would you even be willing to speak with me?”

“You’re simply being unreasonable.”

“So what if I’m unreasonable? Since childhood, this princess has gotten whatever she wanted, yet the one person I like I cannot have. And in your heart, there’s only Wei Yi. Have your eyes ever seen this princess?”

Her voice choked with emotion, and she nearly shed tears as she spoke.

Ji Yunshu couldn’t stand seeing women cry, and she also couldn’t stand others being unreasonable.

For a moment, her head suddenly throbbed with pain. She simply spoke bluntly and seriously, “Princess, you and I are impossible!”

“Why are we impossible!”

“I don’t know how to explain it to you.”

“This princess has never truly liked anyone before. This time with you, it’s real. Why can’t you understand these feelings?”

Jing Xuan was utterly earnest!

She wanted to reach out and take Ji Yunshu’s hand, but her outstretched hand grasped only air.

Ji Yunshu had stepped back, then turned to Wei Yi. “Wei Yi, turn around.”

“Oh!”

Wei Yi was very obedient. Without asking why, he responded and turned around.

Jing Xuan didn’t understand why. Just as she was about to ask, her wrist was suddenly grasped by Ji Yunshu and lifted up.

“What are you doing?”

“Making the princess give up.”

Huh?

Ji Yunshu quickly pressed her hand to her own chest.

Jing Xuan’s face first flushed red, but when her palm truly pressed against Ji Yunshu’s chest, her entire body trembled.

Her eyes widened!

Her whole person seemed frozen for a long time. She drew in a breath and said incredulously, “You… you’re a woman?”

Ji Yunshu removed her hand and nodded slightly.

She said, “If I’m not mistaken, your mother consort already knew I was a woman long ago.”

“That’s impossible!” Jing Xuan’s face turned deathly pale as she shook her head vigorously.

This truth came too quickly!

Ji Yunshu kept a cold expression. “At today’s banquet, if the princess hadn’t appeared, Consort Xiao would surely have tried to play matchmaker. I would definitely have been exposed as a woman.”

Jing Xuan staggered backward several steps.

Still shaking her head desperately.

“Impossible! Mother Consort couldn’t have known. She clearly knows I have feelings for you… In any case, it’s impossible. There’s no way. If Mother Consort had known all along, there’s no reason she wouldn’t tell me.”

Tears suddenly appeared!

Ji Yunshu sighed. “Perhaps she just hasn’t had the chance to tell you yet.”

“…”

“Doesn’t the princess want to know what I look like? I’ll remove my mask and let you see clearly.”