Silence?

That was true. He was usually so carefree, but now, with his brows furrowed and not saying a word, it was indeed rather strange.

Looking down at the woman’s eyes full of worry, Xie Jin Yan forced a smile and softly replied, "I'm fine."

"That's good."

Yu Qing Wu responded softly.

While they were talking, the people around them had already become excited.

Yu Qing Wu raised her head and saw a man in plain clothes walk onto the stage. This plain-clothed man looked very thin, like a scholar. Behind him were two strong men in iron armor and a man in tattered clothes, who was being dragged up by the two strong men…

As soon as he was dragged up, the crowd erupted.

Rotten vegetable leaves and stinky eggs flew up like a storm, all hitting the man.

The plain-clothed man dodged slightly and hurriedly shouted to the crowd, "Everyone, please stop!"

"I know you all have grievances in your hearts. Your families, your friends, all lost their lives because of this damned imperial court. Some of you have even been left with lifelong disabilities because of it."

"But if we kill him now, we won't be able to negotiate with the imperial court."

"If I'm not mistaken, the people from the imperial court have probably already arrived in Yunzhou. Who knows, they might be mixed in among you right now."

Bai Chen looked serious, and as he spoke, he coldly scanned the crowd.

The crowd erupted again. People looked at each other, each searching for the imperial court's people.

Hearing Bai Chen's words, Yu Qing Wu almost broke out in a cold sweat.

Was it really as Xie Jin Yan said, they had already fallen into someone else's sight?

She bit her lip and gripped Xie Jin Yan's hand even tighter.

Xie Jin Yan also seemed to notice her nervousness. He gently pulled his hand out of hers and placed it on her shoulder, pulling her tightly into his arms.

Leaning against Xie Jin Yan's chest, smelling his familiar scent, and feeling his warm body temperature, she felt for the first time that being in his arms was so reassuring.

She also felt for the first time that being the crown prince was so difficult.

In the past, she thought that helping to deliver military supplies or finding people and investigating clues was already extremely difficult.

But now, faced with this kind of situation, she felt for the first time that what she had experienced in the past seemed to be trivial matters.

And now, looking at the dense crowd around her, Yu Qing Wu only felt her scalp tingling.

On the other hand, Xie Jin Yan's handsome face still didn't show any emotion. He was as calm as if he were one of the Bai Yue Society’s worshiping commoners.

Faced with the mutual scrutiny of the surrounding people, Xie Jin Yan didn't deliberately try to blend in with them, but he didn't show anything too excessive either. He just quietly looked at the man on the stage who was being held by two iron-armored strong men.

He looked him over carefully from head to toe.

The man had already been beaten beyond recognition. It seemed that he didn't even have the strength to speak.

It was impossible to tell whether he was Xie Qi Yun or from the You family, or the Liu family…

After all, Xie Qi Yun and his several cousins looked somewhat similar in appearance and build.

Being too far away, he really couldn't tell for a moment.

And the person on the stage, the plain-clothed young master - Bai Chen, his dark eyes, under the firelight, sharply scanned the crowd, and finally smiled and said to everyone, "Everyone, please be calm and don't be afraid. Our Yunzhou people are different from outsiders. These days, you should pay more attention to those who come from other places."

"If you notice anything unusual, detain them all."

"Okay, we will follow Young Master Bai's orders! Kill the imperial court's traitors!"

For a moment, the crowd became enthusiastic again.

People seemed to be possessed, shouting extremely loudly.

The bloody man on the stage, hearing these shouts, immediately cried out, but it was impossible to hear what he was saying. However, from his voice, it could be heard that he was very angry.

Unfortunately, his anger did not scare the civilians, but instead earned him two slaps to the face.

Watching the strong man's solid slaps, Yu Qing Wu couldn't help but touch her own face.

Xie Jin Yan looked even more unable to bear to look…

"That person… is Xie Qi Yun."

After stepping out of the crowd, Xie Jin Yan suddenly said in a low voice.

But this time, there was no gloating in his tone, but more of heaviness and complexity.

Yes, although he and Xie Qi Yun fought to the death, they were both princes and sons of the same father.

Now, a member of the imperial family was being humiliated like this.

It could be seen that the people here really hated the imperial court.

Yu Qing Wu also understood this, so she also understood why Xie Jin Yan's face was so heavy.

However, she didn't understand how Xie Jin Yan recognized that the man was Xie Qi Yun, even after he had been beaten like that.

Yu Qing Wu frowned slightly and asked him in a low voice, "Jin Yan, how… how did you see that the person was Xie Qi Yun?"

"Besides that idiot, who else would put on airs at any time?"

"I just heard him scolding commoners."

"This idiot really thinks that being a prince, being a crown prince, is just about enjoying a comfortable life in the palace, sitting in a carriage and looking at the prosperous streets, and ordering the people to do things?"

"Now it's good, he put on too much airs and is about to lose his life."

"I don't know what conditions the Bai Yue Society will propose to the imperial court."

Xie Jin Yan sighed, looked at Yu Qing Wu deeply, and said, "A Wu, when we return to the inn later, I will immediately send you out of Yunzhou City."

What did he mean?

Was he planning to send her away and stay in Yunzhou himself to continue the investigation?

Yu Qing Wu's eyebrows immediately sank, her footsteps stopped, and she raised her eyes to look at Xie Jin Yan's handsome but serious face, and asked, "Xie Jin Yan, what do you mean by that?"

Hearing this, Xie Jin Yan paused slightly.

After a moment, he stroked her hair and said gently, "A Wu, the situation we're encountering this time is different from any previous time. We might even lose our lives here…"

"So you're planning to risk it yourself?"

Yu Qing Wu's eyes turned red, and she pushed away the hand stroking her, and said coldly, "Xie Jin Yan, in your eyes, am I so unable to endure hardship? Besides, if you're here alone, and I leave by myself, I'll be worried too."

Clearly, she was showing concern.

But at this time, Xie Jin Yan no longer had his former joy.

He frowned and, for the first time, looked at her seriously and earnestly as a husband, and said, "A Wu, be obedient, okay?"

"If you're here, you're more likely to become my weakness."

"You need to know that almost everyone in this Yunzhou City is a believer of the Bai Yue Society. This is different from any previous time. These people hate the imperial court and the royal family. Even if you're just the crown prince's consort, it's not impossible for you to become the target of their venting."