"Your Highness seems to be getting along very well with the Duchess of Ning." Eunuch Wei said, looking at Xue Xingyue's silent expression.
Upon hearing this, Xue Xingyue replied indifferently, "The Duchess of Ning does not make me feel disliked."
Eunuch Wei said, "His Majesty will surely be very happy if he learns of this."
Xue Xingyue's expression shifted slightly. She looked at Eunuch Wei and asked, "Brother Emperor, will he truly be happy about this?"
Eunuch Wei nodded and said in a low voice, "Ever since His Majesty issued the imperial decree for your marriage, he has actually felt some guilt, fearing that his own decision would displease Your Highness. But now, His Majesty has no need to worry."
Xue Xingyue was slightly taken aback. She truly hadn't considered this.
Her brother emperor had gone to great lengths for her. This was also why she was willing to lower her status and interact with the Duchess of Ning.
There weren't many people she cherished in this world anymore, and her brother emperor was the most important among them.
If she hadn't gotten lost due to her own playfulness back then, her brother emperor wouldn't have searched for her in the heavy snow. After finding her, he had given her his only fur coat, which led to his health deteriorating from then on, eventually falling ill. It was all because of her that her brother emperor's body became so weak.
Thinking of this, she looked at Eunuch Wei and asked, "Eunuch Wei, you haven't told my brother emperor about that matter, have you?"
Eunuch Wei shook his head, "As Your Highness instructed, this old servant has not spoken of it. However, Your Highness, paper cannot wrap fire forever. If, by any chance..."
"There will be no 'by any chance,' Eunuch Wei. Rest assured, I have made sure that those who know about that matter keep their lips sealed."
Hearing this, Eunuch Wei felt it was inappropriate to say more. He only said, "Your Highness, as long as you have thought it through, please pay close attention to Consort An."
Xue Xingyue was slightly startled. She looked at Eunuch Wei, her gaze turning cold. "Eunuch Wei, you..."
Eunuch Wei suddenly interrupted her, saying, "Your Highness, we have arrived."
She raised her head and saw a slender figure standing in front of a tent not far away. Her originally cool eyebrows and eyes seemed to melt away. She quickened her pace and called out, "Brother Emperor."
Xue Xingchen saw her, his lips curving upwards. "Yue'er."
"Brother Emperor, why did you come out? It's windy here. Let's go inside!" Xue Xingyue said.
Seeing her anxious expression, Xue Xingchen smiled. "Yue'er, don't worry. I can withstand this bit of wind."
"Even so, it's not allowed. This is not the imperial palace," Xue Xingyue said.
Xue Xingchen smiled, then sighed and said, "In the palace, I'm managed by Consort An. Outside the palace, I'm managed by my imperial sister."
Upon hearing this, Xue Xingyue paused. "Brother Emperor, Yue'er is doing this for your own good."
"Good, good, I'll listen to you," Xue Xingchen said, taking her hand as they entered the tent.
"I heard that Yue'er and the Duchess of Ning are getting along well?"
Xue Xingyue nodded. "The Duchess of Ning is very kind."
Hearing this, a genuine smile finally appeared on Xue Xingchen's face. "Yue'er, I am very happy."
Ever since he had issued the imperial decree for her marriage, he had been thinking every day that he was doing this for Yue'er's good. However, if Yue'er was not satisfied, or if she had only agreed to please him, he did not want to see either of those scenarios. He only hoped that Yue'er truly felt satisfied with the marriage decree he had issued.
"Brother Emperor, thank you!" Everything her brother emperor did was for her. During the five years she had been banished from the capital, every time she heard of her brother emperor's hardships, her first thought was to escape.
Now, she no longer wanted to escape. She wanted to protect this vast empire for her brother emperor, no matter what the cost.
"Cough cough..." Xue Xingchen coughed a few times.
Xue Xingyue's heart tightened. "Brother Emperor, what's wrong?"
"It's nothing, just some old ailments. I'm a bit tired!" Xue Xingchen said, waving his hand.
Seeing this, Xue Xingyue bowed and said, "Yue'er takes her leave!"
After exiting the tent, Xue Xingyue called Feng Wu over and asked, "Feng Wu, is there anything unusual about the hunting grounds?"
Feng Wu replied, "Your subordinate has dispatched people to every corner of the hunting grounds. This hunt will not have any incidents occur under my watch."
"Feng Wu, I naturally trust you, but you must not let your guard down. My heart has felt a vague sense of unease since arriving here."
"Your Highness, rest assured, your subordinate will be cautious and vigilant."
Xue Xingyue nodded. She saw that Feng Wu seemed to hesitate, so she couldn't help but ask, "Feng Wu, do you have something else?"
Feng Wu stammered upon hearing this, "Your Highness, if you find Young Master Meng and..."
"Feng Wu, just say it. Your hesitation is making me even more anxious."
Seeing this, Feng Wu gritted her teeth, as if making a decision, and said, "Your subordinate saw Young Master Meng traveling in a carriage with a servant boy."
Xue Xingyue smiled upon hearing this. "Feng Wu, what's so strange about that? Isn't it normal for a master and servant to be in the same carriage? You always ride in the same carriage with me."
"It's different..." Feng Wu suddenly raised her head and said urgently.
Xue Xingyue's gaze turned indifferent. "What's different?"
"That... that servant boy is a woman," Feng Wu said, gritting her teeth, word by word.
"What's strange about that?" Xue Xingyue said indifferently.
Feng Wu was stunned. "Your Highness, you..."
"As I said, Young Master Meng and I are only complying with the imperial decree out of necessity. After marriage, he will walk his own path, and I will walk mine. We will not interfere with each other. Now, he is simply traveling with a servant boy disguised as a man. What is wrong with that?"
"Your Highness, you... you don't mind?"
"I don't mind," Xue Xingyue said with a slight lift of her eyebrows.
Seeing this, Feng Wu said, "Your subordinate was overthinking."
"Feng Wu, there will be many such things in the future, and you will get used to them."
Feng Wu's gaze dimmed, and she said somewhat indignantly, "But what is lacking in Your Highness?" Is she not comparable to those vixen-like women?
"Feng Wu, Young Master Meng and I are merely in a cooperative relationship. You must be clear about that."
Feng Wu was stunned. "Yes, your subordinate remembers this well!"
Xue Xingyue nodded. "Pay more attention to my brother emperor. Assign more guards to protect him."
"Your Highness, rest assured, your subordinate will make arrangements."
Xue Xingyue walked towards her own room. Suddenly, a cold gaze fell upon her from a distance. She turned around and saw the owner of that gaze.
It was as icy as frost, yet also calm and indifferent.
An indescribable feeling emanated from the depths of her heart.
Just as she was about to speak, she realized that the person had already turned and left, leaving behind only a retreating figure.