When Shangguan Hong heard the voice of the servant, he barely lifted his eyelids and glanced at the two of them. "Ah, Your Highness, why have you come?"
Ye Qingcheng's nose pricked, and she stepped forward, stopping at his bedside. "I heard you were ill, so I came to see you."
The servant discreetly retreated, closing the door behind him.
"It must have been difficult for Your Highness. I heard the Regent keeps a very close eye on you and doesn't allow you to leave the manor. If you come like this, I'm afraid he will be angry again," he said.
"It's alright, I've made arrangements," she said, frowning as she looked at his sickly appearance, feeling a pang of guilt.
"For me to be like this, it troubles Your Highness to have bothered," he said, followed by a light cough.
Ye Qingcheng was startled and quickly replied, "Young Master Shangguan, please don't be so polite. Didn't you say we are friends? Moreover, it was with your help that I was safely returned after being falsely accused and imprisoned."
He shook his head slightly, remaining silent.
After a moment of silence, Ye Qingcheng finally asked the question that had been troubling her for a long time. "By the way, Young Master Shangguan, there's something I've always wanted to ask you."
"What is it? Your Highness, please ask. As long as I can answer, I will certainly not hold back from Your Highness," he said with a pale smile.
Ye Qingcheng nodded and said, "It's like this, I heard that lately, Young Master Shangguan, you seem to be particularly interested in so-called ghosts and even investigated legends about them. Why is that? I heard that in the past, you never cared about such things."
Shangguan Hong did not answer immediately.
He looked at Ye Qingcheng, falling into a brief silence.
Finally, he propped himself up with one hand on the bed, struggling to sit up. After a few coughs, he said, "Your Highness, listen to me."
She nodded. "Yes, I'm listening. Please don't get too agitated, Young Master."
"I truly did not believe in ghosts. My recent investigations are all because of you, Your Highness!" he said, placing a hand on his chest.
"Me?" she blinked in surprise.
"Yes. Your Highness's identity is unknown. The Regent believes you are a cat demon, possessing a tail that can find a mysterious treasure. Because of this, the Regent has always treated Your Highness extremely well," he stated with a serious expression.
At that moment, Ye Qingcheng recalled what she had overheard outside the wall of the Laundry Courtyard, and it seemed to align somewhat with what Shangguan Hong had said.
Could it be that Xiao Wangye's approach and kindness towards her were truly because he believed she was a cat demon? Was he after the so-called treasure?
Just then, the previously closed door was violently pushed open, and a gust of cold wind swept in.
Shangguan Hong couldn't help but cough again. Ye Qingcheng frowned and looked over, meeting Xiao Wangye's eyes.
He stood at the doorway, his hands behind his back, looking coldly at Ye Qingcheng and Shangguan Hong. The light was too dim for Ye Qingcheng to discern his expression, but she was certain he was not smiling happily.
Her heart sank.
Ye Qingcheng was brought back to the Regent's manor by Xiao Wangye.
The sky was dim. She couldn't figure out why Xiao Wangye had woken up or why he had followed her to Shangguan Hong's residence. It was only when she saw Gu Qingyuan tied up by Xiao Wangye that she understood.
Ye Qingcheng was thrown into her room, her elbow hurting from the impact. She frowned, looking at Xiao Wangye, who had closed the door and was standing at the entrance. "Your Highness, couldn't you have been gentler?"
"Gentle? After you did this, you expect this Prince to be gentle with you?" he looked at her with a face full of mockery.
"What did Your Highness's consort do?" she asked, feeling wronged.
"Sneaking out of the manor in the middle of the night to meet with the Crown Prince's strategist. Are you involved with the Crown Prince, or do you have a private affair with Shangguan Hong?" he questioned.
Ye Qingcheng was taken aback and didn't know how to respond.
He let out a cold snort. "But whatever the reason, you've done quite well."
Ye Qingcheng, prepared to feign foolishness before him, smiled and got up from the ground, patting the dust off her clothes. She then linked her arm with Xiao Wangye's.
She blinked at him several times and said with a fawning expression, "Since that's the case, Your Highness, why don't you let me go and see if Young Master Shangguan is really on his deathbed?"
"Are you truly ignorant or just pretending?" he frowned.
"Your Highness's consort is just very curious..."
She found it strange that Shangguan Hong would suddenly claim to be critically ill and on his deathbed. It didn't make sense, logically or emotionally.
"There's no need for curiosity," Xiao Wangye said coldly. "Your Young Master Shangguan is not sick at all. It was I who went to his residence and punched him a few times."
Only this foolish woman wouldn't realize Shangguan Hong was faking it.
He was truly exasperated. When would she finally start to comprehend things and become a bit smarter? Then he wouldn't have to worry so much.
Ye Qingcheng was stunned for a moment. "You hit him? But why did you hit him?"
"This has nothing to do with you. Even if it did, you wouldn't understand even if I told you," he said indifferently, then turned towards the bed.
"Then, Your Highness, will you be angry with Your Highness's consort for going to see Shangguan, um, Shangguan Hong this time?"
She was very careful not to call him "Young Master Shangguan," so as not to upset Xiao Wangye.
He glanced at her. "What do you think?"
"Your Highness's consort asks because she doesn't know," Ye Qingcheng said earnestly.
He sighed. "Here, you are always more important than many things. This Prince will value you more than anything. As long as you obediently listen to this Prince, then nothing unexpected will happen to you."
She looked at him with a complex expression, remaining silent.
She remembered what Shangguan Hong had told her about Xiao Wangye in his room.
Shangguan Hong had said that Xiao Wangye was so kind to her simply because he coveted her identity as a cat demon, and her tail was the key to unlocking treasures.
Now, with Xiao Wangye saying such words in front of her, could this also serve as proof that he wanted the cat demon's tail?
Or perhaps, he simply liked her, even if he could guess that she wasn't the original Ye Qingcheng.
But what was the truth? For a moment, Ye Qingcheng couldn't tell.
However, Ye Qingcheng was quite satisfied and happy that Xiao Wangye didn't get angry with her.
But her happiness didn't last long.
Because starting from the next morning, Ye Qingcheng discovered with great sorrow that she was being monitored and restricted by Xiao Wangye without any blind spots.
Even when she ate breakfast or went for a walk, she had people accompanying and watching her. And not just the maids by her side, but also many elite guards trained by Xiao Wangye hidden in the shadows. Even when she went to the privy, someone accompanied and supervised her.