The new emperor's first decree upon ascending the throne was to forcibly take his cousin as his

After discussing it with Cheng Qing, Ruan Xianrong felt more at ease and decided to rent a house in Huai'an City to stay temporarily.

He had already arrived in Huai'an, the price of the house had been agreed upon, and he paid the money readily, enjoying himself for a few days.

That day, when Yinque returned from outside, she brought a letter, saying it was from Kyoto.

How did they know I was here?

"It was given to Young Master Cheng by the eldest daughter, who then asked him to deliver it."

"Cheng Qing is here?"

"Yes, he said he came to Huai'an City to get medicine for his mother, and he'll come back after he gets the medicine."

Ruan Xianrong understood and looked down at the letter.

"Miss, I told you this wouldn't work, right? The head of the family and his wife care about you. Even if you're not their biological daughter, they won't send you away," Yinque said.

If it were just the Ruan family, she would naturally be willing to go back, but she was afraid.

She just wanted to stay as far away from the male and female leads as possible, ideally never seeing them again.

But I can't tell my parents about this directly, it's driving me crazy.

"What is the girl planning to do?"

What else can we do but save our lives first?

It's the same if I find an opportunity to go back and visit my parents in the future.

Originally, the matter should have been over and forgotten, but she never expected that someone would come knocking on her door again, surrounding her house completely.

"I see that the guards outside the door are those of the Third Prince."

Thank you for the gift?

"What's he doing here?"

No sooner had the words left her lips than a voice came from the other side of the wall, "Miss, the Third Prince has arrived. Please hurry and pack so we can return to the capital together."

Ruan Xianrong thought she had misheard.

There was no sound from inside for a long time, then there was another knocking at the door.

"Cousin Ruan, are you all ready?"

Ruan Xianrong didn't speak for a moment. The person outside knocked a few more times. "Cousin Ruan, it's me."

"Cousin Ruan?"

"Open the door, I know you're in there."

"Cousin Ruan, please open the door first. We can talk this over."

"cousin?"

Ruan Xianrong is so noisy! How come I never noticed Xie Chengli was so talkative before?

He stepped forward to open the door, but Xie Chengli's hand froze in mid-air. He smiled and said, "Finally decided to open the door?"

"I appreciate Your Highness's kindness, but I'm perfectly fine here and don't want to go back."

Xie Chengli shrugged. "I didn't want to come here to cause trouble, but you know, if the teacher asks for my help, I have to do it no matter what."

"My dad's looking for you?"

"Minister Ruan wrote me a letter, asking me to find you and bring you back to the capital."

Ruan Xianrong sighed and looked up at the people following behind him. "So, I have no choice but to go back to the capital?"

Xie Chengli raised an eyebrow. "Logically speaking, that's how it should be."

Ruan Xianrong gritted her teeth; she really was a heartless person.

Since there's no way to escape anyway, I might as well go back.

"I can go back, but I want to take someone with me."

"Can."

She sent a letter to Cheng Qing, asking if he would be willing to return to the capital with her.

Since we'll be going to Kyoto to take the imperial examinations anyway, it's fine to go now; the provincial examinations in Kyoto are even more convenient.

After waiting for half a day, Cheng Qing finally arrived.

Ruan Xianrong said apologetically, "It happened so suddenly, I'm really sorry. If you don't want to go to Kyoto right now, that's fine, I'll come back to find you later."

Cheng Qing understood when he saw the guards behind her; she was still going to leave.

They had already agreed that since he had promised, he should keep his word, and he would go with her.

"Don't worry, I've made arrangements at home. The money you gave me is enough for my mother, younger brother, and younger sister to live on for the next few years. I'll go with you."

Ruan Xianrong was somewhat moved; people with such a strong sense of contractual obligation are rare.

She didn't choose the wrong person.

Holding his hand, she said to Xie Chengli, "Third Prince, I want to take him back to the capital."

Xie Chengli paused for a moment, his gaze falling on their tightly clasped hands. "Okay."

Her mood and feelings were different. When she left Beijing, she felt completely at ease. Now, after a month away, she has vomited three times.

Cheng Qing poured her some water to rinse her mouth, patted her back, and asked with concern, "Are you alright?"

Ruan Xianrong took the water and gulped down several mouthfuls. "I'm fine."

Cheng Qing couldn't bear to see her in so much pain, so he looked at Xie Chengli and said, "Your Highness, Miss Ruan is in a lot of pain. Perhaps we should stop traveling today?"

Xie Chengli stared at him for a while, then ordered the guards to rest on the spot.

The attendants around them would glance at them from time to time, their expressions meaningful.

Ruan Xianrong had been traveling a bumpy road, and was so dizzy that she almost vomited bile. Now, with her back to the ground, she felt a sense of comfort and groundedness.

Xie Chengli brought her medicine once, and seeing her haggard appearance, he chuckled.

"You can be so quiet sometimes. Is this still the little girl who used to climb walls and play in the mud with me?"

Ruan Xianrong had no time for arguing with him about this. She rolled her eyes at him and turned her head away without saying a word.

Looking at the man washing his face with water by the river, she asked, "Are you really sure he's the one?"

Ruan Xianrong remained silent, but Xie Chengli wasn't annoyed. He produced a box from somewhere and said, "I've painted a few more pictures recently. Would you like to take a look?"

Ruan Xianrong: "..."

Can't you tell she doesn't want to talk to him?

Xie Chengli unfolded the scroll and placed it in front of her without a second thought.

Throughout the painting, from spring to winter, the two figures in the painting remain unchanged, a man and a woman, who still have no faces.

What a coward! He didn't even dare to draw Miaoyin's face on it.

"What do you think of the painting? And what about the poem on it? Is it appropriate?"

He insists on dragging her into his romance; does he really think she's just a part of their game?

She nodded dryly. "Yes, it's suitable."

Xie Chengli didn't care about her perfunctory attitude. He put away the painting and treasured it, placing it back in the box.

*

The Eastern Palace.

Xie Chengyan's eyes held an unyielding gloom. "Still no news?"

"Your Highness, please forgive us, but the guards who were supposed to be with Miss Ruan... have lost track of her."

Upon hearing this, the man behind the desk looked up, his eyes turning icy cold. He could no longer maintain his pretense and revealed his ruthless nature.

He was never by Niannian's side whenever she needed something.

If he were still in Minnesota, how could Niannian be missing?

She's not a girl from the Ruan family. How heartbroken she must be when she finds out the truth.

His Nian Nian is timid and delicate; where can she go if she leaves the Ruan family?

He dared not imagine how much she was crying now, whether she had been kidnapped by bad people, or where she was suffering.

The more I thought about it, the more frightened I became, and my hand holding the folding book trembled involuntarily a few times.

If Nian Nian never comes back, and I can never find him again...

The mere thought of this possibility made the crazy impulse I had been suppressing inside me completely uncontrollable.

"Find him! Even if you have to dig three feet into the ground, bring him back to me!"

"Yes."

After the guards withdrew, the woman who had been blocked outside stomped her foot in anger.

What does it mean that the prince rescued her but then disappeared?

If she doesn't appear, how can she win her over? How can she earn points?

Fortunately, she can still leave the palace. With her abilities, what powerful and influential person can't she befriend?

She has won over all the young masters and ladies of the Prime Minister's mansion.

With her golden touch, she could easily amaze these ancient people by simply pulling out a few modern gadgets.

In the past few months, which young master in Kyoto hasn't wanted to curry favor with her?

Thinking of this, my competitive spirit kicked in again.

So what if he's the crown prince? What's so great about him?

He's destined to be won over by her in the end, to love her to the point of obsession, unable to resist her. Once she finishes her mission and returns home, he'll be heartbroken!