At this moment, Du Ruhui had eyes only for Yunyi, unable to hear anything else. He said excitedly, “Meixue, these past two years, I’ve thought of you every moment. I… I’ve already passed the imperial examination—I can marry you now!”

Yunyi shook her head and said, “Young Master Du has mistaken me for someone else. I am not the Miss Meixue you speak of.”

Du Ruhui said urgently, “No! You are Meixue—I couldn’t be wrong!”

Seeing him completely ignore her words, Ruyi said angrily, “If you don’t release the princess immediately, I’ll call the guards!”

After waiting a while and still seeing Du Ruhui not let go, Ruyi was about to call the guards when Yunyi said, “It’s just a small matter—no need to alarm the guards.” Then she said to Du Ruhui, “I truly am not the Miss Meixue you speak of. Before today, I had never met Young Master Du.”

After the initial excitement, Du Ruhui gradually calmed down. Yes, Meixue was already dead—how could she be standing alive before him? But he couldn’t understand why this Princess of Jinyang looked exactly like Meixue. He had grown up with Meixue, yet couldn’t see even half a difference.

Du Ruhui suppressed his doubts and released his grip, saying, “I momentarily lost my composure. Please forgive me, Your Highness.”

“I understand.” With that, Yunyi smiled and said, “Seeing how nervous Young Master Du is, that Miss Meixue must be your beloved.”

Du Ruhui nodded and said, “Yes, Meixue and I were childhood sweethearts. I once promised her that if I passed the imperial examination, I would return to marry her. But… when I wrote home, the news I received was that she had already been killed by someone. I…” He clenched his fists tightly and said hoarsely, “I failed her!”

“If Miss Meixue’s spirit is watching from heaven, seeing how Young Master Du remembers her constantly, she would surely rest in peace.” As soon as Yunyi finished speaking, Du Ruhui said coldly, “Until the day I catch her killer, Meixue will never rest in peace!”

Yunyi frowned slightly. Strange—the person who killed Meixue was Feng Chunxiu, who had died accidentally in early Daye Year Ten, which should have been enough to comfort Meixue’s spirit. Why would Du Ruhui say such a thing?

Though puzzled, given her current identity, it was inconvenient to ask further. She could only say, “Then I wish Young Master Du success in catching Miss Meixue’s killer soon.” With that, she said to Ruyi, “Escort Young Master Du out.”

Ruyi nodded and walked before Du Ruhui, extending her hand, “Young Master Du, please!”

Faced with Ruyi’s words, Du Ruhui made no move, his gaze fixed on Yunyi. When Ruyi spoke for the second time, he suddenly said, “May I speak privately with Your Highness?”

Yunyi smiled and said, “I truly am not the Miss Meixue you know. Even if Young Master Du asks ten or a hundred times, my answer will be the same.”

“I know.” After these three words, Du Ruhui still stood motionless in place. Yunyi’s delicate brows furrowed slightly as she said to Ruyi, “You may withdraw for now.”

“Yes.” After Ruyi and the others had withdrawn about ten zhang away, Yunyi said, “What does Young Master Du wish to say to me?”

“On the first day of the eleventh month in Daye Year Nine, Meixue, who worked at the Governor’s residence, returned home. It was on that day that I promised her that after passing the imperial examination, I would marry her with eight sedan chairs as my principal wife. But I later learned that Meixue had already died before that day.”

Yunyi feigned surprise and said, “Oh, such a thing happened? Could it be that Miss Meixue was reluctant to leave the mortal world and thus appeared as a spirit?”

Du Ruhui said slowly, “No, what I saw that day was indeed a living person, but it wasn’t Meixue—it was an assassin in disguise.”

“Disguise?” Yunyi said in surprise, “I never knew such strange arts existed in the world.” After a pause, she added, “So Young Master Du mistook the assassin for Wu Meixue?”

Du Ruhui’s pupils contracted slightly, and his gaze toward Yunyi deepened. “Correct. That assassin infiltrated the Governor’s residence to assassinate Duke of Tang, who was then serving as Governor of Honghua Commandery. After the attempt failed, she continued to stay in the Governor’s residence under Meixue’s identity, waiting for another chance to strike, and she killed the Li family’s Third Young Master. Though the Governor and Second Young Master searched the entire Honghua Commandery, they unfortunately failed to capture her.”

“I see.” Yunyi nodded slightly, then said, “But… why is Young Master Du telling me all this? Could it be…” She gently touched her cheek, “Young Master Du thinks I’m also an assassin in disguise?”

Du Ruhui didn’t answer her question directly but said, “I remember the final question Your Highness posed earlier. Your Highness said: Someone has killed your close relative, but he also had unavoidable difficulties. If you caught this person, how would you deal with him?”

After Yunyi nodded, he continued, “I found it strange at the time—why pose such an odd question? It wasn’t until just now that I finally realized that perhaps it wasn’t a question at all, but Your Highness’s personal experience.”

Yunyi raised her delicate eyebrows slightly, “Oh? What makes you say that?”

“Duke of Tang originally sent countless people to blockade Honghua Commandery inside and out, and thoroughly searched the mountains and forests where the assassin might have fled. Under such circumstances, the assassin had no chance to escape, yet she indeed vanished. I dare to speculate that it wasn’t because the assassin had supernatural powers, but because someone deliberately let her go. I heard that during the time the assassin impersonated Meixue, she grew very close to the Second Young Master. The person who let the assassin go was most likely the Second Young Master.”

“Young Master Du has quite a rich imagination, but that question was just a whim of mine, not what you’ve described, and certainly not an assassin in disguise.” Yunyi maintained her gentle smile, though her heart was churning like stormy seas. What a Du Ruhui—with just a few clues, he had deduced so much. How formidable.

Du Ruhui stared at the sweetly smiling Yunyi and said word by word, “Your Highness naturally hasn’t disguised herself, just like that assassin.”

Her long eyelashes trembled slightly as she looked up and said, “What does Young Master Du mean?”

“Your Highness hasn’t disguised herself, and that assassin didn’t disguise herself either. She had a face identical to Meixue’s.”

Yunyi studied him for a moment and said, “It seems Young Master Du is certain I am that assassin. But… as a princess of the realm, running off to assassinate a pillar of the state—doesn’t Young Master Du find that too absurd?”

“It is somewhat absurd, but I believe I couldn’t mistake someone. Moreover…” After a pause, Du Ruhui continued, “I heard that several months ago, Duke of Tang and his second son came to the capital to pay respects to His Majesty. His Majesty was furious because the second son refused to marry Princess Yongfeng, throwing them into prison intending to punish them. Yet not only were they released without punishment, but His Majesty also arranged another marriage between the second son and Miss Changsun. Your Highness must know best why His Majesty’s attitude changed so dramatically.”