After all, Consort Min was not favored, and neither was the Third Princess. Princess Imperial Yuning, however, was the Emperor’s sister. Resolving Ye Yaming’s troubles would be just a matter of a word from Princess Imperial Yuning. For the sake of Prince Consort Fan being able to enjoy a satisfying cup of tea, Princess Imperial Yuning would likely be willing to speak that word.

That’s why she hadn’t mentioned the Meng family earlier and was now just smiling, observing how Lu Guanyi and Qi Ji would respond.

Surely Lu Guanyi and Qi Ji hadn’t come from the capital just to warn the Ye family without taking any action?

“We’ll handle the Meng family. I guarantee they won’t trouble you again,” Lu Guanyi said.

“Before Meng Chengwei returned to the capital, I had been investigating his family’s affairs. But Meng Chengwei is extremely clever—he never offends people of higher status than himself. And for those of lower status, once he strikes, he eliminates them, leaving no loose ends. Therefore, despite my lengthy investigation, I couldn’t find evidence that would destroy him.”

“Yes, exactly,” Qi Ji finally understood the meaning behind Ye Yaming’s words from Lu Guanyi’s explanation and hastened to explain, “During his exile, we employed numerous methods to try to keep him there permanently. But the Meng family sent many people to protect him. If we had acted more obviously, we would have left evidence against ourselves, which is why he managed to return to the capital alive.”

Lu Guanyi nodded: “Rest assured, since Meng Chengwei’s return to the capital, I’ve been setting traps. This time, he absolutely won’t escape.”

He had stayed in the capital for so long, not only to handle the Crown Prince’s and his affairs, and to present Longjing tea to the Emperor, but also to wait for Meng Chengwei’s return.

As long as Meng Chengwei lived, the Ye family would be in danger. He had to completely deal with Meng Chengwei and his family before heading to the border.

Ye Yaming was very satisfied with the two men’s attitude and approach.

“Thank you both, gentlemen.” She picked up the teapot and personally refilled their cups.

Both men stood up and accepted the tea she offered.

After bringing the teacup to his lips and taking a sip, Lu Guanyi raised his eyes: “As for your suggestion to solve the Duke of Ying’s problem by getting married immediately…”

He paused, as if making some kind of resolution: “Regarding this matter, could I speak with you privately?”

Upon hearing this, Qi Ji nearly choked, quickly covering his mouth to prevent his cough from ruining his brother’s opportunity.

Ye Yaming set down the teapot and secretly sighed.

So Lu Guanyi had finally chosen to break the silence between them?

“Of course,” she responded straightforwardly.

Lu Guanyi looked toward Ye Chongming, seeking his opinion: “Old Master Ye, may I?”

Ye Chongming looked at Lu Guanyi, then at Ye Yaming.

He seemed to guess something and immediately stood up, smiling warmly at Qi Ji: “Young Master Qi, I bought a painting recently, and I’m not sure if it was a good purchase. Could you come to my study and take a look?”

Qi Ji suddenly found the old man before him extremely endearing.

“Of course, of course. I may not be good at much else, but I do appreciate paintings, haha…” He made a gesture, “After you, Old Master Ye.”

The two left together.

In the room, only Lu Guanyi and Ye Yaming remained.

Lu Guanyi’s grandfather, Lu Min, was a military general, and many of the servants around him were those who had been disabled in battle and came to the Lu residence to live out their days.

Raised by these men, Lu Guanyi had inherited some of a soldier’s demeanor, speaking and acting very directly.

Having made up his mind, he no longer hesitated and got straight to the point: “If you want to use marriage to solve the Duke of Ying’s problem, would you consider marrying me?”

After saying this, he didn’t pause to observe Ye Yaming’s expression, but directly explained his family situation to her.

A bitter smile appeared on his face: “Given my circumstances, I originally had no intention of proposing to you. With your abilities, you would certainly live well if you married someone else.”

“But now with Meng Chengwei and the Duke of Ying’s matter, I feel that perhaps no one else could protect you.”

He raised his eyes to meet Ye Yaming’s gaze directly: “I will resolve my family’s troubles. Give me two years, and within that time I will settle matters with Lady Shi and the Duke of Wei’s family. If you agree, we won’t get married immediately, but we will be engaged first. After our engagement, I will go to the border. If after two years I still haven’t resolved all the troubles, you can break off the engagement.”

“Because the Crown Prince stands behind me. Once you become my fiancée, no one—not Consort Min, the Third Princess, or the Duke of Ying’s family—would dare to harm you. His Highness will protect you on my behalf. For these two years, at least, you’ll be safe.”

“If during these two years you find someone suitable to marry, don’t rush—wait until I return from the border to break the engagement. I will never hinder you from marrying someone else.”

Having said what was on his mind in one breath, Lu Guanyi’s expression became much more relaxed.

He said: “My words may seem abrupt. You don’t need to answer me now. Take some time to consider, and you can give me your answer tomorrow or the day after.”

From the moment Lu Guanyi began speaking, Ye Yaming’s face had shown no expression—neither surprise nor shyness, nor panic.

Her gaze remained fixed on the teacup in her hand, her entire being as calm as still water, composed and collected.

Only upon hearing Lu Guanyi’s final words did she look up to face him directly: “May I ask why you want to marry me? If you married a young lady from the Duke of Ying’s family or the Northern General’s family, you could suppress your stepmother, which would be extremely beneficial to you. Why haven’t you considered them?”

Lu Guanyi gazed deeply at Ye Yaming.

This was exactly what he admired most about her.

She was always the smartest, the most perceptive—calm, rational, and strong—her questions always cutting straight to the core of the matter. Communicating with her was completely unhindered, thoroughly refreshing; she could walk alongside him as an equal, strengthening him like adding wings to a tiger, rather than becoming a burden.

He looked back at her, his eyes filled with frankness: “If not for you, I might not marry at all; at least, before resolving everything, I wouldn’t consider marriage.”

“But I worried that if I didn’t speak up, by the time I returned from the border, you might already be married. If you could choose someone suitable, I wouldn’t say these words today. But you’re facing difficulties. Moreover, the men your grandmother has selected for you are completely unsuitable. Not to mention whether they’re worthy of you, they at least don’t have the heart to protect you.”

Ye Yaming looked at him, suddenly finding the situation somewhat amusing.

In her previous life, she had been beautiful, wealthy, with both high IQ and EQ. She had received confessions since childhood. Especially during her studies abroad, she was almost daily presented with flowers, serenaded, and professed love to by passionate and romantic people from various countries.

She had never seen such a reserved confession as Lu Guanyi’s.

After saying so much, throughout his entire speech, there wasn’t a single word like “like,” “love,” or “affection”—it was all rational analysis.