Xie Jiang reassured him, "The banquet is about to start. Where could I possibly slip away to?"
Xu Hengyan remembered she hadn't eaten much that morning. "Are you hungry? Shall I have someone send some food over for you?"
Yi Yanguan inwardly sneered, thinking, If you're that worried, just keep her in your pocket! Then she wouldn't be running around backstage looking for actors!
Even though he had already witnessed Xu Hengyan's unusual treatment of Xie Jiang, Lu Zhiheng, who was trying to conceal his emotions by fiddling with his teacup in front of the Regent, couldn't help but raise an eyebrow.
So undisguised!
Or perhaps he himself hadn't noticed?
Lu Zhiheng furtively glanced at the Regent seated above and suddenly realized something was amiss.
Although the Regent appeared as steady as a mountain, Lu Zhiheng was a shrewd observer and caught some subtle details.
If Xu Hengyan hadn't been acting so strangely, he might not have noticed, but now it was hard for him not to consider certain possibilities.
The Regent and Marquis Xie...
Xie Jiang picked a ripe-looking plum from a dish on the table and waved it at Xu Hengyan with a smile. "I'll just have some fruit."
If Xu Hengyan didn't leave soon, someone's nostrils would be smoking!
After bowing to Yi Yanguan, Xu Hengyan and Lu Zhiheng departed.
Before leaving, Lu Zhiheng gestured for Xu Hengyan to look up, at the subtle currents flowing between Yi Yanguan and Xie Jiang...
Lu Zhiheng found himself adjusting his mindset remarkably quickly, already worrying about potential threats to Xu Hengyan.
Lu Zhiheng sighed helplessly and tapped his own forehead.
While Xu Hengyan's attention was largely focused on Xie Jiang, Yi Yanguan was also an undeniable presence, and Xu Hengyan naturally noticed Yi Yanguan's attitude towards Xie Jiang.
However, Xu Hengyan didn't take it too seriously. He had known about the friendship between Yi Yanguan and Xie Jiang since they were in that small mountain village.
As for whether Yi Yanguan might have ulterior motives towards Xie Jiang? Xu Hengyan didn't think so. Did everyone who got close to her have ulterior motives?
One couldn't assume everyone else was as despicable as oneself.
"It's not what you think. The Regent takes very good care of Little Xie."
"And he's quite indulgent."
"Little Xie has a lively and mischievous personality. Even if she angers the Regent for a moment, he won't truly be angry with her."
Xu Hengyan felt that the two must have had an argument just now, and Little Xie's stroll outside was a way to calm down before returning.
"I can see that."
Watching Xu Hengyan's figure disappear, Xie Jiang took a bite of the plum, felt a jolt, and immediately spat it out. She looked at Yi Yanguan with a frown. "This plum is even more sour than you are."
Yi Yanguan watched her antics silently, not replying, his eyes practically glued to Xu Hengyan! Did she wish she could leave with Xu Hengyan?
Xie Jiang put the plum back on the table. "The skin is so red and ripe, why is it so sour? Is it because I'm too close to you and got tainted?"
Yi Yanguan turned away, refusing to look at her.
Xie Jiang didn't expect Yi Yanguan to say anything. She picked up a bunch of grapes, ate them, and started telling a story.
She neither embellished nor omitted anything.
She simply recounted the scenes she had witnessed when the young rakes dragged her to the back chambers.
In any case, she hadn't gone looking for Zuo Rongchun.
Yi Yanguan finally deigned to look at her properly. "Pei Yan is no simple character. The souls he claimed in his early years are enough to form a navy in the underworld. You did the right thing by keeping it to yourselves."
"If you had exposed this matter, Pei Yan's reputation would certainly be ruined, but do you think he wouldn't have investigated you? Wouldn't he have made you pay a price?"
Inwardly, he thought that men were all the same. Pei Yan, a hero of his time, had actually done something so foolish.
Xie Jiang took a piece of cloth to wipe the juice from her fingers. "Although I'm not afraid of offending such a person, why create such a big enemy for myself for no reason? Besides, Madam Pei and Pei Zichang are quite deserving of trouble."
Yi Yanguan beckoned her over.
Xie Jiang: "What for?"
Yi Yanguan: "Come here."
Xie Jiang got up and walked over to him.
Yi Yanguan plucked a dry twig from her hair. He had intended to wipe a smudge of dirt from her nose, but a mischievous thought struck him, and he lowered his hand.
Xie Jiang sat down beside him. "Pei Yan and Miss Xu, who do you think made the first move?"
Yi Yanguan thought for a moment. "Pei Yan's willpower is far beyond that of ordinary people. He wouldn't be easily swayed by a woman, especially given their relationship."
Xie Jiang nodded, agreeing. "For a man like Pei Yan, with his vast life experience, few women can escape his grasp."
At this point, she frowned in disgust. "Even if Pei Yan dragged Miss Xu into it by force, the world wouldn't be too harsh on him. A man being a bit of a philanderer is never considered a mistake; even if he's worse than a beast, he can still find a place for himself. Miss Xu, however, would pay a heavy price for it."
"Men are despicable, yet women have to bear the responsibility," Xie Jiang glared fiercely at Yi Yanguan.
"Shameless! Vile!"
Xie Jiang wanted to rip the scalps off these shameless, vile men.
Her original self, Miss Song Er, had been branded as a calamity that brought ruin to the nation! Forced to a dead end where her family was destroyed at such a young age! A seven-year-old child bringing ruin to the nation!
Yi Yanguan was inexplicably drawn into her anger, but he had to admit she was right. It was exceptionally difficult for women to exist in this world. "If they can't even protect the women they love, these men might as well die."
Xie Jiang let out a cold snort.
What good person are you, Yi Yanguan?
Yi Yanguan remained silent, accompanying her as she vented her anger. After a moment of thought, he spoke again. "Although Pei Yan is more likely, is there a possibility that Pei Yan was the one dragged into it?"
Xie Jiang didn't deny this possibility. "Of course, anything is possible."
To attract a man like Pei Yan, who held a high position at such a young age, Miss Xu must have possessed extraordinary qualities herself, making it possible for the Minister to fall astray for once.
Yi Yanguan said, "Even if they know they shouldn't, people's hearts are alive, and there are times when they lose control, so they might as well indulge."
Xie Jiang sensed a hint of melancholy in his tone.
Was he thinking of the woman who had stabbed him in the heart? Life always had its unfulfilled desires; one had to let go. Weren't they having fun together these days?
Xie Jiang advised, "Life is short, only a few decades. There's no need to make things difficult for yourself, living so restrained and arduously. Indulge when you should."
"When should one indulge?"
Seeing that she remembered nothing, Yi Yanguan silently comforted himself not to take it to heart. At least she had returned to his side.
"Measure it yourself, grasp it yourself."
"These grapes are good, plump and juicy, fragrant and delicious. Let me feed you one."
Xie Jiang offered him a peeled grape.
"Many people are watching this way." Yi Yanguan's Adam's apple bobbed as he watched the juice from the grape drip down her fingers.
"Let them watch. If they stare, I won't feed them grapes. Hurry up and open your mouth!"
"Do you think they're looking this way because they envy you feeding me grapes?"
"Why else? Isn't it worth envying?"
"How many years have you spent cultivating that thick skin of yours?"