In a moment of impulse, I forcibly kissed my brother's best friend.

Baoyu waited half the night and didn't see her master return, so she knew he definitely wouldn't be able to leave that door tonight.

As dawn broke, he took off his official robes, climbed over the wall, and sat on the railing at the entrance of the Pear Garden, yawning incessantly.

The drizzle has stopped, and a thin layer of water glistens on the bluestone pavement.

Hearing the noise from afar, he immediately sat up straight.

Zhixia stretched and slowly walked out, yawning and rubbing her eyes, and then she saw Baoyu's tired face.

His appearance at the entrance of Pear Garden terrified her more than seeing a ghost.

Her eyes widened suddenly, and she was instantly wide awake. She hurriedly turned her head to look at the tightly closed door on the right, her mind blank for a moment.

Bichun then came out carrying a copper basin, with steam rising from the water.

The moment she saw Bao Yu, she paused, almost dropping the copper basin.

The three of them stared at each other in the morning light, the atmosphere so frozen it could make ice shards crack.

"Baoyu." Cui Yutang's voice came from the crack in the door, very soft, but all three heard it clearly, "Pass the clothes in."

Bichun and Zhixia, who had been on tenterhooks all morning, finally felt utterly devastated.

Baoyu quickly darted over and handed the neatly folded official robes through the crack in the door. She also took the copper basin from Bichun's hands, lowering her voice as she did so.

"Your young lady probably won't be able to get up for a while, so let my master use it first."

Bichun and Zhixia dared not speak out in anger, their four gazes wishing they could gouge holes in his back.

Now the beam has really hardened.

Shortly afterward, the door opened from the inside.

Cui Yutang walked out in a dark green official uniform, the collar buttoned up tightly. He was incredibly handsome, and the morning light cast a faint golden glow on his shoulders.

Bichun and Zhixia looked at his face, and their anger subsided by half—this man looked so imposing in his official robes, and the oppressive aura made people dare not act rashly.

He glanced at them and lowered his voice, "Don't disturb her, let her sleep a little longer."

Bichun and Zhixia quickly curtsied and replied in unison, "Yes."

When they looked up again, they saw only a dark green figure, carrying Baoyu, lightly leaping onto the high wall and disappearing over the wall in an instant.

They can come and go freely, without any obstruction.

The two guards, who had just moved from the eaves to the tree, stared at each other wide-eyed. This shouldn't be their fault, right?

Bichun looked up at the wall, then at the angle from which Cui Yutang had jumped, and turned to ask Zhixia.

"Would raising this wall even stop it?"

Zhixia also looked up at the wall and shook her head.

"It's no use being higher. I can still get up by borrowing a few more sections. That person's martial arts are far superior to mine." Her tone was calm, but it completely extinguished the last bit of hope in Bichun's heart.

At the alley entrance, Cui Yutang's horse had just turned out when it ran into Zhou Xuan'an, who was also riding to his post on the main road.

His heart skipped a beat, and he knew something was wrong, but he kept a straight face, gave a slight nod, and tried to move aside.

To everyone's surprise, Zhou Xuan'an's big eyes sparkled, and his face was full of delight.

"Brother Yutang! What a coincidence! We even bumped into each other while on duty. We're truly destined to meet!"

"Indeed." Cui Yutang forced a smile and quickly said, "Brother Xuan'an, I have some urgent business to attend to, so I'll take my leave first."

Before he finished speaking, he tightened his grip on the horse's flanks, cracked the whip, and the horse neighed loudly before galloping away.

Before Zhou Xuan'an could utter "Let's go together," the gust of wind swirled in his face and choked him back.

He watched the departing dark green figure, lost in thought.

Brother Yutang was promoted another rank yesterday, he's really busy. It seems that Her Majesty the Empress's new job is not easy to handle.

But the more he thought about it, the more something seemed off. Why would he be near that alley so early in the morning?

That alley... Zhou Xuan'an suddenly thought of something, and his expression changed drastically.

That's where you can go around to the outer wall of his sister's garden.

hateful!

He treated him like a brother!

After the morning court session ended, Cui Yutang was summoned to the Imperial Study for a meeting, but he was nowhere to be seen.

Zhou Xuan'an waited at the palace gate for a long time but couldn't catch anyone. After finishing his shift at noon, he immediately rushed back to his residence and sent people to raise the outer wall of the Pear Garden by six feet.

When Xie Yige heard the commotion outside, she went out and was completely dumbfounded.

"Brother, what are you doing?" She asked, a little guilty, her voice even softer than usual.

"How dare you ask?" Zhou Xuan'an gritted his teeth, wanting to curse but unwilling to, his handsome face contorted with suppressed rage.

Bichun and Zhixia whispered to each other not far away.

"Zhixia, will adding six feet be useful?" Bichun asked in a low voice.

"It's no use. Even I can't stop it at this height." Zhi Xia's tone was tinged with disdain.

"Poor young master, all his efforts have been in vain." Bichun sighed sympathetically.

Xie Yige didn't dare to stop them, and looked at the ever-rising wall with some worry.

Bichun was an understanding person and couldn't bear to see her mistress frown, so she quietly slipped to her side and lowered her voice.

"Miss, Zhixia said that even she couldn't stop it at this height."

Xie Yige couldn't help but smile instantly. She quickly covered her mouth, but the smile still shone through her eyes.

Zhou Xuan'an suddenly turned around.

Bichun reacted quickly and used a handkerchief to cover Xie Yige's eyes as well.

"What are you doing?" Zhou Xuan'an asked suspiciously.

"It's alright, it's alright," Bichun quickly waved her hand.

Just as Zhou Xuan'an was about to ask further questions, he heard Xie Wan Ning's voice.

"Xiao Yige!" Xie Wanning walked in through the moon gate, paused when she saw the scene in the courtyard, and exclaimed, "Huh, what are you doing? Why did you build the wall so high?"

"It's nothing, why is Auntie here?" Xie Yige quickly went to greet her and took Xie Wanning's arm.

"Come on, I'll take you out to play," Xie Wanning said excitedly. "I heard the Persians brought something new, a kind of exotic cat, all white, it's so beautiful."

Xie Yige was immediately moved, and she couldn't help but turn around and call out, "Brother."

She dared not provoke him now.

Zhou Xuan'an glanced at her and waved his hand, "You go out with your aunt, I'll watch over things here."

Xie Yige felt as if she had been granted a pardon and quickly followed Xie Wanning out the door.

The Persians' main base was in the bustling West Market.

Just past noon, before dusk, was the busiest time in Chang'an's West Market.

Xie Yige and Xie Wanning, accompanied by two maids and two guards, weaved through the crowded streets. Foreign merchants and Han Chinese mingled shoulder to shoulder, camel caravans and carriages came and went in an endless stream, and shouts from all over the country mingled with the voices of people.

"It's right over there in the Persian Gulf," Xie Wanning pointed to the exotic building.

That was the largest restaurant opened by the Persians in the Tang Dynasty. It was a three-story building with a round arched dome, decorated with intricate vine patterns and vibrant, rich colors.

In front of the building is a pond of water lilies, which are in full bloom at this time. The pink and white petals stretch out their graceful figures in the blue water, like a group of fairies who have just awakened from a dream.

As soon as they entered the lobby, a masked woman ushered them into a semi-open private room on the second floor. From the private room, they could see a floor-to-ceiling openwork display stand in the center, where the exotic cat from another world stood high.

Its movements were elegant and languid, its entire body covered in long, fluffy white fur that shimmered like silk in the light. A pair of azure eyes glanced indifferently at the crowd below, and its whole being exuded an exotic mystery as if it had crossed the shifting sands.

"Yige, look! Its eyes are blue, so beautiful!" Xie Wanning excitedly grabbed Xie Yige's arm.

"It's really beautiful." Xie Yige stared at the cat, her voice filled with amazement. "I really want to have one."

Xie Wan Ning turned to look at Xie Yi Ge and found that her sparkling peach blossom eyes were no less beautiful than those of the strange cat—in fact, they were even more lively and vivid, like the brilliance of the entire Milky Way.

In the elegant room opposite on the second floor, a man in a blue brocade robe was talking to someone. He glanced up unintentionally, his gaze sweeping across the room, and he was immediately drawn to a pair of captivating peach blossom eyes.

He froze for a moment, the tea in his hand tilting slightly, almost spilling.

"Send someone over and ask who that woman is," he said in a low voice to his attendant beside him, his voice trembling slightly.