After identifying the identities of the pair of wild lovers, Su Xiaoqi's mood immediately soured.
Shen Yun knew what she was thinking.
Earlier, Xiaoqi had mentioned to him that he should pay more attention to the Crown Prince's heir.
Because the Du family's blind date suggestion for Du Yiyi was him.
Shen Yun had also heard about it when he met the Crown Prince before.
The Crown Prince intended to form an alliance with the Du family, and leverage it to win over the Duke Yu's mansion, the Du family's in-laws.
The Crown Prince's mansion had two sons of marriageable age: one was the Crown Prince's heir.
The other was Liang Jingchen, who was later found by the Duke Yu's mansion. As marriage matters were prioritized by the elder brother, the Crown Prince's heir was put forward.
Originally, the Du family considered this a neither good nor bad marriage.
The Crown Prince's heir had a sufficiently noble status, and he was also not lacking in talent or looks, making him a fine catch.
However, after Zhang Lei casually investigated, he discovered that this person was all about appearances.
He appeared refined and elegant, but in reality, he was not as clean in private.
To not mention anything else, his private life was extremely chaotic.
Although there were only two concubine maids in the visible backyard, he actually kept three mistresses outside, and he also had several paramours at Spring Wind Tower.
This person was notoriously promiscuous; women were truly like clothes to him, worn when new, and discarded or replaced at any time once they were old.
Even Shen Yun, as a man, found this aspect of him extremely distasteful.
In his opinion, as a man, there were too many things to do. A person's energy was limited, and having one understanding and considerate woman by his side was already enough.
To find a soulmate and grow old together, never parting.
Why bother with so many, only to waste energy and time?
In front of Su Xiaoqi, Shen Yun no longer wore his mask but directly showed his displeasure towards the Crown Prince's heir on his face.
Su Xiaoqi also found the Crown Prince's heir utterly contemptible.
Thinking that not long ago, she had playfully teased Yiyi about her marriage, and now this had happened.
She pondered how she should break the news to Du Yiyi.
"You're going to tell her?" Shen Yun saw through Su Xiaoqi's thoughts.
Su Xiaoqi nodded. "Yiyi is my good friend, and the Crown Prince's heir is just a stranger. Since he is so disgraceful, I naturally cannot conceal it for him." She knew perfectly well who was closer and who was further.
Upon their return, the Grand Princess had not yet gone to sleep.
Upon hearing the news of Su Xiaoqi's return, she immediately came out.
"Xiaoqi, you're finally back. What happened?" the Grand Princess asked with concern.
Su Xiaoqi had heard from Shen Yun earlier that the Grand Princess had inquired after she learned she hadn't returned.
But what she hadn't expected was that she had been waiting for her all along.
She thought, if Shen Yun hadn't rescued her, she wouldn't have been able to return all night, and wouldn't the Grand Princess have waited in vain?
Thinking this, Su Xiaoqi couldn't help but resent those who played insidious tricks behind the scenes.
They were truly detestable.
She thought for a moment, then stepped forward to comfort the Grand Princess.
She said she had returned safely, and as for other matters, they could be discussed tomorrow.
Seeing that she was dispirited, the Grand Princess knew she was tired and did not ask further questions.
She nodded to her and asked Madam Xu to escort her back to rest.
However, the Grand Princess was a sensitive person.
Su Xiaoqi was not someone who acted recklessly.
Even if the temple fair at the foot of the mountain was fun, she wouldn't return so late without saying goodbye.
Therefore, something must have happened.
"Have someone investigate," the Grand Princess, having received many favors from Su Xiaoqi, already regarded her as her own junior.
Moreover, she had come with her this time.
She had to give her an explanation.
Madam Xu nodded in agreement and immediately dispatched someone to find Shen Yun.
She had already heard the news that they had returned together.
The Grand Princess, having made arrangements, retired to rest.
Su Xiaoqi slept soundly and went to pay her respects to the Grand Princess after breakfast the next morning.
Upon arriving, Su Xiaoqi felt that the atmosphere was somewhat amiss.
The Grand Princess sat in the main seat with her head lowered, her brows furrowed, and her expression stern.
"Your Highness, what is wrong? Are you feeling unwell?" Su Xiaoqi asked, then noticed the Grand Princess's face darken and her expression become somewhat dejected, thinking she was unwell.
The Grand Princess shook her head and beckoned her to come closer.
Su Xiaoqi was puzzled, but she was obedient.
She did as the Grand Princess instructed.
She walked to the Grand Princess's side and was pulled into her arms for a tight hug.
"Child, you have suffered injustice."
Su Xiaoqi blinked. Did the Grand Princess know about yesterday's events?
"I have ordered someone to find the maidservant accompanying the young lady of the Du family. Madam Xu interrogated her early this morning, and I have a general understanding of the matter. Rest assured, I will not let them get away with it this time."
Su Xiaoqi lowered her gaze, appearing completely deferential to the Grand Princess's decisions.
She was inwardly amazed.
This was too fast.
She had been wondering how she would mention it to the Grand Princess.
But unexpectedly, they had already investigated the root of the matter.
"You don't need to worry. In this capital, as long as one wants to investigate, no one can keep secrets."
Su Xiaoqi's heart skipped a beat. The Grand Princess's words reminded her of the imperial secret service – the Imperial Guards.
That's right, the Great Liang Dynasty also had ancient Imperial Guards.
They infiltrated the homes of officials, collected all the information within their households, compiled it into dossiers, and presented it to the emperor.
In their eyes, all the civil and military officials of the court truly had no secrets.
"Yesterday, we were only busy escaping the maze. I forgot to interrogate the little maidservant. Do you know who she implicated?"
Su Xiaoqi's first reaction was Princess Qionghua. At that time, the situation was urgent, and she did not interrogate further, simply having Zhang Yu knock out the maidservant named Yingxiu and leave her in the maze.
However, Zhang Yu had been a bit too heavy-handed.
So she had never woken up.
When they returned, they encountered her. After Zhang Yu pointed out the problem, Du Yiyi had someone bring her along.
This also conveniently served the Grand Princess's actions.
"Miss Liu's family." Madam Xu replied.
Su Xiaoqi raised an eyebrow. The Liu family, the Liu family again. She really had a bad streak with the Liu family.
Well, that couldn't be said entirely. In fact, Princess Huian and Bao Ge'er, the Grand Princess's children, also had the surname Liu.
But people are different; the same grain can feed a hundred different kinds of people.
"Which Miss Liu is this?" Su Xiaoqi asked hesitantly.
"Liu Ni Ni."
Su Xiaoqi blinked, finally recalling who this person was.
The scene of the Zhuangyuan parading on horseback that day flashed in her mind.
"Miss Liu Ni Ni, I should not have even met her." She was very sure.
Because that day, they were merely in adjacent private rooms.
They might have glanced at each other through the window.
She hadn't even gotten a clear look at Liu Ni Ni's appearance.
How did she offend her?