After conquering seven male favorites, the vicious heroine wants to run away

Chapter 153 Explaining the Misunderstanding
She picked up the brocade pouch and examined it carefully, turning it over and over.

Looks familiar, like I've seen her somewhere before?

The brocade pouch was embroidered with a white petal. Shi Nuanyu opened the pouch and took out a note inside. It had the word "Come" written on it, and nothing else.

The material was exactly the same as the brocade pouch she had received last time.

She instinctively put away the brocade pouch, not wanting anyone to see it.

The steward, looking anxious, hurried over from a short distance away. "Princess, the Imperial Advisor has arrived."

Shi Nuanyu's gaze fell on the man not far away. After a long silence, she slowly walked up to him.

"Why did you come along instead of resting properly?"

There are too many problems between them; they need to calm down and get some time to cool off.

The calmness in her eyes left him in turmoil.

A flicker of panic crossed Qinghe's eyes, but he took her hand as usual.

"If I don't come soon, Nuannuan won't want me anymore."

Her resolute figure in the Department of Criminal Law left him with a lingering fear; he feared she would never return, that she would no longer have him in her heart.

Her hand was held tightly in his, his once warm hand now icy cold. Shi Nuanyu sighed and squeezed his hand back.

"Let's go back to the princess's mansion."

Now that he's already come this far, we can't just send him back.

She had him taken back to the princess's residence and had already notified the imperial physician to apply medicine to him. After such a long journey, she didn't know how bad his injuries were.
Qinghe followed behind her stiffly, step by step, as helpless as a cub that had made a mistake.

She wasn't angry, nor did she blame him?

His heart tightened and he stopped in his tracks, trying to explain, "Nuan Nuan, I..."

Shi Nuanyu interrupted him, "I know there's nothing wrong between you two, there's no need to be so nervous."

Turning to look at the pale-faced man, she stepped forward and rested her head against his chest.

"Shall we go back and talk again?"

Qinghe nodded slowly and tentatively wrapped his arms around her waist. "I'll listen to Nuannuan."

Tao Huiyan, who arrived late, watched the two figures leave with dim eyes, all the joy in her heart vanishing in that instant.

The butler, standing nearby, lowered his head anxiously. "Master, should we pursue them?"

The princess had finally managed to return to the manor with the head of the family, but he ruined this wonderful occasion.

Tao Huiyan gently stroked the rose hairpin she hadn't given away, carefully placing it in her bosom before turning and walking towards the study.
"Steward, summon the stewards to the mansion to discuss this matter."

A sky full of stars hangs in the heavens, making the dark night sky shine. Outside Zuijun Residence, a stream babbles, and the croaking of frogs rises and falls under the stone slabs.

Under the eaves, a man dressed in a thin undergarment strummed the strings of a zither, and melodious music flowed from his fingertips.

Shi Nuanyu leaned against him, casually poking his thigh with her finger.

To be honest, she really didn't know anything about the zither.

Listening to the soft music, all she wanted to do was take a nap.

"Qinghe, are we really going to stand outside in the cold wind?"

Don't say she's clueless about romance; spring nights are chilly, she'll catch a cold.

Upon returning to his residence, the man inexplicably went to take a bath first, and dressed himself up in such an ethereal manner that anyone who didn't know better would think he had become an immortal.

Qinghe smoothed the strings of the zither, turned and pulled her into his arms, shielding her from the breeze blowing from behind.

"Warm, is it warm now?"

Shi Nuanyu found a comfortable spot in his arms and leaned against him, then took his hand and played with it.

"It's warm now."

Gazing at the twinkling stars in the sky, she spoke softly.

"Didn't you want an explanation? If you don't want one, I'm going to Yichen Pavilion." Qinghe's eyes darkened, and he lowered his head to press his thin lips to her shoulder, slowly recounting the events.

"More than ten years ago, the Ji family of Peicheng, renowned for its exquisite casting techniques, was wiped out overnight, leaving behind only the twins hidden in a secret passage."
After receiving news of the Hua family's destruction, Uncle Hua rushed to the Ji family and rescued the twins, entrusting them to the care of the old Imperial Preceptor, with whom he still had a rapport, and the abbot of Fuze Temple.

“I was still young at that time, and Uncle Hua often visited the Imperial Preceptor’s residence. After a while, he took me in as his godson.”

He paused for a moment, then continued, "When the Hua family was framed, Uncle Hua entrusted my sworn sister to me. I cannot forget to repay this life-saving debt..."

He could not forget the feud between the Ji and Hua families. For many years, he had gone to great lengths to find the murderer who had killed both families. In the end, all the clues pointed to Prince Anchang.

Overthrowing a prince is no easy task; he had prepared himself for certain death. Her unexpected arrival gave him hope for survival.

Only by standing unconditionally behind him and providing him with the support of imperial power could everything proceed so smoothly.

As Shi Nuanyu listened carefully to the unfolding events, she realized that she had unknowingly become involved in so many things.

Feeling heavy-hearted, she gripped his middle finger tightly and voiced her doubts.

"You anticipated that I would go to the Li family to protect you, and you also anticipated that Princess Xiangfang would make a move against me in Banxiawan, didn't you?"

If that's the case, has he ever cared about his own life?

Qinghe pursed his thin lips and held her waist tightly, as if he wanted to use all his strength to pull her into his arms.

"Nuan Nuan, I'm sorry."

He was too arrogant, thinking he could control everything, but he forgot that she was another variable.

"When we were at the Li family's house, I wasn't sure if Nuannuan would come. I had already arranged for people to protect you during the competition, but I didn't know..."

Shi Nuanyu continued, "But little did I know that I would willingly fall off a cliff to save someone."

Her heart was trembling. "Where are the people you arranged when the team was wiped out?"

They struggled for a long time, but no rescue came for a long time. At that time, she really thought she would die there.

Qinghe hesitated, but all the explanations boiled down to one sentence.

"sorry."

That prediction came true; he had already regretted it.

Apologetic words lingered in her ears, and Shi Nuanyu sighed silently. She didn't know whether to pity his plight or worry about her own life.

She gave a self-deprecating laugh and asked her final question, "Is the Tao family's affair related to you?"

"It has nothing to do with it. My sworn sister went to Xuntian to discuss matters and was spotted and captured by the Tao family."

This was also unexpected. After a moment of silence, Qinghe revealed another matter, "The poison in Boss Tao's body is related to the Ji family."

Fearing she might misunderstand, he quickly said, "My father and mother died from poisoning, and the poison they were given was the same as the one in Boss Tao's body."

Shi Nuanyu asked in confusion, "Don't you know where the poison comes from? Fusheng can't tell what kind of poison it is either?"

They all know about Fusheng's medical skills, so how could even he not know them?

If they had known, their investigation wouldn't have been so complicated.

Qinghe shook his head, "Even my younger brother can't tell."

All clues come to an abrupt end here.

Shi Nuanyu fell into deep thought, recalling what Tao Huiyan had told her earlier that day.

"Tao Huiyan said that the Gu worm was planted by his mother herself. I've heard that the Southern Frontier is skilled in Gu, so why don't you go there to find the answer?"

She learned about the prevalence of Gu poison in the Southern Frontier from a book. The book described in detail how, when Shan Baiyu's grandmother and mother died in the war, turmoil broke out in the Southern Frontier due to Gu poison.

Upon hearing this, Qinghe's eyes lit up, as if he had thought of something, and a hint of joy flashed in his eyes.

"Thank you for the reminder, Nuannuan. Gu poison and poison are inseparable. I had forgotten about the Southern Frontier."

Shi Nuanyu gave a disgruntled snort, "Don't thank me, I haven't forgiven you yet."

She sat up straight, turned around, and grabbed his neck, tightening her grip. "Tell me," she said, "if I were to die in the fjord, what would you do?"