Hearing this, Xie Jinyan remained silent.

However, his expression clearly indicated his agreement.

Even though she had already guessed the answer, Yu Qingwu was still extremely shocked. She recalled how she had asked Xie Jinyan why he didn't tell Xie Ruizhi about Xu Zian falsely claiming Xu Xingzhi's merit, so Xie Ruizhi could give up.

Now, realizing that she too had mistaken the person, Yu Qingwu understood the reason even more.

Just as Xie Jinyan had said, liking someone wasn't simply because they had saved you.

Perhaps it was because of his upright character, or perhaps it was admiration for his outstanding talent, or maybe it was infatuation with his gentle consideration. Xie Jinyan hadn't exposed Senior Brother Xiao, just as he hadn't exposed Xu Zian in the past.

Even so, Yu Qingwu still wanted to hear the answer from his own mouth.

She bit her lip, trying to control her emotions. With a hoarse sense of guilt and sadness, she softly called out to him again, "Your Highness, why didn't you expose Senior Brother Xiao that day?"

"Even if I exposed him, would Shijie stop liking him?" Xie Jinyan raised his eyebrows, a bitter smile tugging at his beautiful eyes. "Besides, even if Shijie knew the truth that day, wouldn't she still hate me?"

"So, why bother exposing him and inviting trouble? Maybe the answer would be even more hurtful."

Yes, if Xie Jinyan had revealed the truth back then, she wouldn't have believed it.

Perhaps, she would have even thought Xie Jinyan was lying.

At that time, her relationship with Xie Jinyan was at its most strained. As for Senior Brother Xiao, perhaps it couldn't be said that she loved him passionately, but she had to admit that she would have been more inclined towards the gentle and sunny Senior Brother Xiao, and stubbornly believed that he had saved her.

But now, hearing Xie Jinyan speak the truth again, Yu Qingwu didn't feel much of anything, because she no longer loved him that much. Recalling the details, she became much clearer-headed.

This feeling was like when Xie Ruizhi saw Xu Zian's cowardly and rogue-like side. He already harbored resentment towards him, so revealing the truth would be easier to accept, and easier to believe…

At this moment, Yu Qingwu suddenly didn't know what to say.

She lowered her eyes and remained silent.

After a long while, she suppressed her emotions, gently took Xie Jinyan's hand, and said softly, "Your Highness, you must tell me everything in the future. Perhaps if you had told me some things earlier, it wouldn't have led to such deep knots in our hearts…"

"Alright, let's get in the carriage. It's getting late, and we might not reach the post station if we delay any further."

"As for Chuntao, there's no need for her to come along. I can do many things myself. Since we're returning to the sect, we must follow the sect's rules."

Pulling on his wrist, Yu Qingwu urged him again in a gentle voice.

Perhaps because she had suddenly mentioned the past, Xie Jinyan suddenly became silent and didn't refuse.

He only nodded slightly and turned to walk towards the carriage.

"This servant greets His Highness the Crown Prince, Her Highness the Crown Princess."

As the two turned around, preparing to get into the carriage, a familiar and gentle voice suddenly came from behind.

It was… her brother.

Why was he here?

Could it be that he knew she was going on a long trip and came to see her off?

Yu Qingwu's body trembled slightly, and she couldn't help but feel a little excited.

But when she turned around, she still tried her best to suppress the joy in her eyes, and only nodded to Yu Qi with extreme kindness and composure, following Xie Jinyan's lead.

Xie Jinyan glanced at Yu Qi lightly, his tone as calm and serious as ever, and asked him, "Eunuch Yu, why have you come to the Crown Prince's residence at this hour? Does Father Emperor have any instructions?"

Yu Qi straightened his body, nodded slightly, and replied with a smile, "Yes, His Majesty instructed this servant to bring a message to Your Highness, saying that the mountain bandits in the Shu region have been causing quite a stir recently. Since Your Highness is going there, please pay attention to them."

"This is the token."

As he spoke, Yu Qi took out a golden token from his sleeve and handed it to Xie Jinyan.

There was no imperial decree, but he was given the Emperor's unique token, indicating that he was intended to act secretly.

But…

Xie Jinyan frowned and asked with some doubt, "Eunuch Yu, as far as I know, wasn't Eldest Brother sent to suppress the mountain bandits in the Yun Province area of Shu half a month ago?"

"His Majesty did send the Eldest Prince there, but…" Yu Qi pursed his lips, his expression complicated. "In short, since you are going to Shu anyway, and you have official duties to attend to, you can take care of this matter along the way, and it will be considered as relieving His Majesty's worries."

The implication was that Xie Qiyun couldn't subdue those mountain bandits? And that he was to clean up the mess? But he couldn't let anyone know, so that Xie Qiyun could take credit for it?

That was right, although Xie Qiyun was a bit stupid, he was still his Father Emperor's first child after all.

Even if Father Emperor intended to suppress the You family and the Liu family, he still felt sorry for Xie Qiyun.

Therefore, this time, Xie Qiyun was implicated in the Qiukui incident and was sent to Shu to suppress bandits, originally intending for him to gain merit, so that he could use his merit to regain his previous official position. But unfortunately, Xie Qiyun didn't have the ability, so he had to help Xie Qiyun out?

In the end, Father Emperor still cared more about the eldest son.

Xie Jinyan was displeased, but he didn't say anything, only said indifferently, "Alright, I understand."

"By the way, Your Highness, His Majesty also asked this servant to bring you another message." As soon as Xie Jinyan finished speaking, Yu Qi on the opposite side opened his mouth again, as if he had seen through his thoughts. Lowering his voice, he added, "His Majesty said that the second son of the You family has also secretly followed. There are spies who reported that there are many remnants of the Qi clan among those mountain bandits, and the You family may be colluding with them. Please be careful in everything and do not easily reveal any information."

The second son of the You family was also there? He was also colluding with the Qi Empress's clan, who had usurped the Xie family's imperial power for many years?

So, Father Emperor was worried that he would attract trouble after exposing his whereabouts?

In an instant, Xie Jinyan felt extremely embarrassed.

But soon, he regained his usual expression, nodded slightly, and responded to Yu Qi, "I understand Father Emperor's meaning."

After speaking, he gave Yu Qingwu a look, then turned and entered the carriage.

He was giving her and her brother space to talk.

Clearly, in the past, she had always hoped to meet her brother and have a good conversation.

But at this moment, with only the two of them left, Yu Qingwu didn't know what to say, and Yu Qi, who was always dignified and composed, was also a little at a loss.

After a moment of僵持 (jiangchi - stalemate), Yu Qingwu spoke first. She pursed her lips and said somewhat awkwardly, "Well… I'm afraid that the Crown Prince and I will be gone for at least two or three months. My cousin had some friendship with Eunuch Yu when he came, so I hope that Eunuch Yu will take care of them during this time."

Yu Qi was fiddling with his hands. Hearing Yu Qingwu's words, he understood the meaning, and nodded with a smile, "Please rest assured, Crown Princess. This servant will help take care of them. You… and His Highness the Crown Prince must take care on this trip. If anything happens, be sure to write a letter to inform me."

"Alright, then thank you very much, Eunuch Yu."

Yu Qingwu's face was expressionless, but she couldn't help but feel tears welling up in her eyes.

Her brother was willing to agree, which meant that he acknowledged his identity. Although he couldn't say it explicitly, it was enough.

After saying goodbye to Yu Qi and getting back into the carriage, Yu Qingwu couldn't help but smile at Xie Jinyan, "Your Highness, he acknowledged me, my brother acknowledged me."