Yan Jin Chao wanted to walk straight over. Jiang Yu Li turned around, "Young Master Yan."
"Miss Jiang, why are you still here?"
Jiang Yu Li smiled upon hearing this, "I was waiting for Young Master Yan to come out. Didn't Young Master Yan pretend not to know?"
Yan Jin Chao looked at Jiang Yu Li indifferently. Seeing the cold glint in his eyes, Jiang Yu Li subconsciously took a step back, her voice trembling, "Young… Young Master Yan…"
Yan Jin Chao looked at her and said coldly, "I believe I have made myself very clear. I was not interested in Miss Jiang before, I am not now, and I will never be in the future."
Jiang Yu Li took a step back, her face full of disbelief, "Impossible, just now, just now Young Master Yan said he would get to know people first, and now…"
Yan Jin Chao retorted coldly, "I forgot just now. I forgot that Miss Jiang is someone who will not give up until her goal is achieved. Therefore, it is beneficial for both Miss Jiang and myself to be clear and direct."
"How can this be? How can this be? I don't believe it, I don't believe it…" Jiang Yu Li shook her head, covered her face, and ran into the room.
Yan Jin Chao looked indifferently at Jiang Yu Li's retreating figure, withdrew his gaze, and walked towards the outside of the Prince's mansion.
Upon reaching the entrance, a man was also walking towards him, "Young Master Yan…"
He looked up at the man. He recognized him; this person seemed to be called Shen Yun Xiu, and he was very close to Ah Ning.
For some reason, he felt a pang of displeasure, and his tone became considerably colder, "Young Master Shen."
Shen Yun Xiu was slightly taken aback. He felt that Yan Jin Chao seemed to have some reservations about him, even though they had always been on good terms and kept to themselves.
"Young Master Yan, are you just coming from the Prince's presence?" Shen Yun Xiu tried to strike up a conversation with this Young Master Yan.
Yan Jin Chao glanced at him coldly, "Yes."
Shen Yun Xiu felt awkward inwardly, "Young Master Yan must have other matters to attend to. I shall not bother you further."
With that, he stepped into the Prince's mansion.
"You are not bothering me," Yan Jin Chao said indifferently.
Shen Yun Xiu was startled and stopped, turning to ask, "Miss Ah Ning…"
"You are bothering me…" Yan Jin Chao coldly interrupted Shen Yun Xiu's words.
Shen Yun Xiu touched his nose. Why did he feel that Yan Jin Chao had hostility towards him?
And it was a very deep kind of hostility.
"Since Young Master Yan doesn't wish to say, then forget it." Shen Yun Xiu was about to leave.
Yan Jin Chao slowly said, "She is at my residence."
After saying this, he turned and left.
Shen Yun Xiu frowned. Why didn't he just say so directly earlier? He had to go through such a roundabout way to convey the message. He didn't know what this Young Master Yan was trying to do.
It was as if he had encroached upon his private property.
Suddenly, he snapped back to attention. Wasn't it because he had gotten a little too close to the Empress that Yan Jin Chao was jealous?
Thinking of this, Shen Yun Xiu felt a bit ashamed. Heaven knew he had no romantic intentions towards the Empress at all.
However, whether Yan Jin Chao would believe him was another matter.
After a few days of recuperation, Wen Yu Xi could already get out of bed. As he possessed martial arts skills, his body was much better than that of ordinary people, so his recovery was quite rapid.
At this moment, he could already walk a few steps back and forth.
"Your Majesty, do you see? I can stand up again." Wen Yu Xi was somewhat excited. Heaven knew that lying in bed was more torturous for him than being killed with a single blow.
"Wen Yu Xi, it's as if you've never been bedridden before. I remember you lay there for many more years than this back then." Xue Zi Ning said with a chuckle.
Wen Yu Xi replied, "I was young back then and could still endure lying down. Now that I'm old, I can't."
Xue Zi Ning walked forward with a smile and patted Wen Yu Xi's shoulder, "I think after a little more recuperation, you'll be able to return to your former self."
"No need, I'm fine now," Wen Yu Xi said quickly.
Xue Zi Ning shook her head, "No, you must be completely recovered. We must ensure there are no lingering ailments."
Thinking that he would have to lie in bed for a few more days, Wen Yu Xi found the days to be even more boring.
"You must rest well and recover from your illness," Xue Zi Ning said.
Wen Yu Xi nodded. Just as he was about to walk back to the bed, his body suddenly swayed, and he stumbled to the side. Xue Zi Ning quickly helped him up, "How are you? I told you it was too early to get out of bed."
Wen Yu Xi said no more and obediently returned to bed.
Xue Zi Ning covered him with the quilt and then got up to leave. Suddenly, Wen Yu Xi grabbed her sleeve and asked, "Yan Zhao, he…"
She fell silent, "Don't mention him again…"
Wen Yu Xi sighed, "Your Majesty, give him some time!"
Xue Zi Ning nodded, "I have already given him time." But what if time ran out? He still couldn't remember her.
Then, what would become of them?
Never before had she felt so flustered, so afraid that by then, he would have forgotten her.
"Your Majesty, Your Majesty…" Wen Yu Xi called out softly.
Xue Zi Ning came back to her senses, "I'm fine."
Wen Yu Xi said, "Believe him…"
Believe him? She didn't know. All she knew was that she was restless without him.
Upon returning to the front courtyard, she learned from the steward that Yan Jin Chao had been summoned by the King of Beijiang.
She sat on a stone chair, gazing at the entrance. The autumn afternoon was not cold, but rather warm. Somehow, she fell asleep. When she woke up, the sky had already turned dark.
She quickly got up. Something slid off her body. She exclaimed, realizing it was a cloak. She hadn't brought a cloak when she was resting here in the afternoon, so it clearly wasn't hers.
She sniffed it; a clean, crisp scent wafted towards her. It was his…
Getting up, she walked towards Yan Jin Chao's room. His room was still lit. As she reached the door, before she could knock, a voice called out from inside, "Enter."
Pushing the door open, she saw the man sitting there. He was dressed in immaculate moon-white brocade robes, his face clear and handsome, as if he had never changed at all.
"Is something the matter?" Yan Jin Chao slowly looked up and asked indifferently.
"Young Master, your cloak." Xue Zi Ning said.
Yan Jin Chao glanced at it and said faintly, "Just put it there."
Xue Zi Ning placed the cloak on the chair. She looked up and saw him looking at the item in his hand. Under the dim candlelight, his profile was perfect.
"What is it?" Yan Jin Chao, noticing she hadn't left, couldn't help but ask.
Xue Zi Ning shook her head, "It's nothing, Young Master. I bid you farewell!"
She put down the cloak and quickly left.
The door was closed. Yan Jin Chao raised his head, his gaze becoming deeper. He looked at the book in his hand; it was upside down. He didn't know how long it had been that way. All he knew was that after she entered, his gaze had never left her.
He sighed. Why had he become like this?
His hand suddenly touched the news about Xue Jing Yun that had been brought back yesterday. He opened it again and saw a small line of text at the very bottom: Before the Empress's childbirth, Xue Jing Yun traveled to Beijiang City…