After all, at this moment, even Xiao Wangye, who had sworn eternal love to her, had not appeared. It was only he who stepped forward, rescued her, and prevented her from being beheaded and dying unjustly.
However, Ye Qingcheng still couldn't help but feel a lingering fear.
How deep were his feelings for her? Since he could do such a thing for her, would he do more inappropriate things in the future?
Or, thinking more deeply, was this entire incident in no way unrelated to him?
Ye Qingcheng frowned and unconsciously took a step back, moving a little further away from Shangguan Hong.
Seeing her movement, Shangguan Hong knitted his brows and was about to reach out to grab her arm, but another person stepped forward in a large stride and pulled Ye Qingcheng over.
That person's movement was faster than his, so Shangguan Hong's attempt was in vain.
"Isn't this Young Master Shangguan? What a coincidence, meeting you here."
Gu Qingyuan hid Ye Qingcheng behind him and greeted Shangguan Hong with a fake smile.
If he hadn't arrived in time, this man would have taken advantage of Qingcheng again. This man was definitely not a simple figure. Compared to him, Xiao Wangye was actually more likable.
Seeing that it was Gu Qingyuan, Shangguan Hong also smiled, "Young Marquis."
"Alas, how do the officials handle things? They always arrest the wrong people. Look, they've even taken our Miss Qingcheng in. This has made both the Regent and I anxious," Gu Qingyuan said with a sigh.
"Indeed, sometimes the officials are not efficient enough," Shangguan Hong replied.
Hearing the mention of the "Regent" in Gu Qingyuan's words, Ye Qingcheng was slightly startled.
Could it be that Xiao Wangye's failure to see her was actually him gathering evidence to clear her name?
"Look, the Regent is extremely worried about Miss Qingcheng, so I must escort Miss Qingcheng back. If I'm late, the Regent's anger is something no one can bear." After speaking, Gu Qingyuan pulled Ye Qingcheng along and left.
Shangguan Hong's expression remained unchanged, and he smiled and bid farewell to the two.
Gu Qingyuan sighed; this man was truly not an easy opponent!
As for Ye Qingcheng, her mind was still entirely on Xiao Wangye. She dazedly followed Gu Qingyuan into the carriage, which then drove away from the prison and headed straight for the Regent's mansion.
"Qingcheng, I have something very important to tell you," Gu Qingyuan said seriously, looking at Ye Qingcheng.
"Mmm, go ahead," she nodded.
"It's about Shangguan Hong. Qingcheng, you must listen carefully." He said.
Hearing this, Ye Qingcheng finally focused a little.
She dispelled the chaotic speculations about Xiao Wangye from her mind and nodded at Gu Qingyuan again, saying, "Tell me, I'm listening."
He sighed and said, "It's like this, I've discovered that Shangguan Hong has been investigating ghost legends recently."
"Ghost legends? Does he like this genre?" she asked, surprised.
"It's absolutely not his interest. He seems to be investigating someone or something. The former Shangguan Hong would never believe in such things. Why do you think he's started investigating them only recently?" he furrowed his brow.
Suddenly, Ye Qingcheng became tense.
Perhaps this matter was not as simple as it seemed.
"Do you think he might have found out my identity?" she ventured a hypothesis.
Gu Qingyuan's face was stern. "This is not impossible. Therefore, Qingcheng, you must pay more attention to this Shangguan Hong and never let your guard down."
After a pause, Gu Qingyuan continued, "This man is absolutely not to be trifled with. He is a very dangerous person."
Upon returning to the Regent's mansion, Ye Qingcheng alighted from the carriage and looked at Gu Qingyuan from the front gate. "Would you like to come in for some tea? You must be tired from chatting with me all the way here."
Gu Qingyuan, who was about to happily alight from the carriage upon hearing her invitation, glanced behind Ye Qingcheng and then dejectedly withdrew his leg.
"Haha, what water? My mission was just to bring Miss Qingcheng back. Since the task is done, I'll be leaving now."
After saying that, he actually had the coachman drive away.
His actions were incredibly swift.
Ye Qingcheng vaguely guessed that there was something terrible behind her. She didn't look back, watching Gu Qingyuan depart as she softly called out, "Your Highness."
"You're back?" His voice was also soft.
"Mmm," Ye Qingcheng still didn't turn around.
After a moment of silence, Xiao Wangye's hand rested on her waist, pulling her into his embrace.
He lowered his eyes, gazed at her face, and raised his eyebrows. "What, are you blaming this king for not protecting you and letting you be taken away?"
Although what he said was true, and she was indeed a little angry about such a matter, she decided not to show it.
Therefore, Ye Qingcheng smiled, "How could your concubine dare to be angry with Your Highness?"
Xiao Wangye narrowed his eyes, said nothing more, and simply swept her up in his arms, carrying her all the way into the room under everyone's gaze.
"Your Highness? What are you doing?" she looked at him with a face full of apprehension, her cheeks slightly flushed.
"Guess what this king is going to do?" He tossed her onto the bed and smiled.
Ye Qingcheng's face turned even redder.
With this posture, it would be strange if she didn't know what he intended to do.
In the heat of the moment, Xiao Wangye kissed her earlobe and whispered, "This king did not save you on the spot because this king did not want you to bear the slander of acting recklessly and disregarding the law by relying on this king's status."
"This king did not go to the court to save you, for the same reason. Do you understand?"
Heaven knows how worried he was about her!
"This king has been investigating the real culprit all along. If you were truly wronged and were about to face death, even if this king had to go against the so-called law, or even the entire world, he would not have watched you leave this king's side."
After all, such a departure would be irreversible. He believed he could not tolerate it.
Ye Qingcheng was somewhat moved.
Seeing her expression, Xiao Wangye smiled and leaned into her ear, his voice incredibly seductive, "If you wish to thank this king, you don't need to do anything else. Just try your best to give this king a child, and that will be the best repayment. This king will be very happy."
At this moment, Ye Qingcheng felt that she had completely surrendered.
The matter of her second imprisonment had come to an end, and Ye Qingcheng felt that she should do something.
After much thought, she realized what she should do. It was very simple: to express her gratitude to Shangguan Hong.
After all, Shangguan Hong had also put in considerable effort for her to be rescued and her name cleared.