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

Meanwhile, Li Zhige was drinking alone in the pavilion.

He saw it.

She saw Cui Yutang carrying her back, saw her lying on his back with complete trust, and saw how intimate the two of them were, as if there was no room for anyone else in between.

Was he really too late?

Feeling intensely bitter, he downed another glass of wine.

"Brother, what are you doing? Why aren't you having dinner? Why are you drinking here?" Li Zhiwei's voice came from behind.

"Don't worry about me." Li Zhige didn't turn around.

Li Zhiwei walked to his side, looked at him like this, and sighed: "Give up, don't make things difficult for yourself."

It's unclear what words provoked him, but Li Zhige suddenly put down his wine glass, stood up, and staggered away from the pavilion without looking back.

After leaving Xie Yige's bedroom, Cui Yutang walked along the corridor towards the main courtyard.

He stopped as soon as he stepped onto the arched bridge.

At the other end of the bridge, Li Zhige stood there, hands behind his back, the moonlight casting a long shadow of his tall figure.

He had clearly been waiting for a long time.

"Cui Yutang, let's talk," Li Zhige said, his voice slightly tinged with alcohol, but still relatively sober.

"What do you want to talk about?" Cui Yutang's voice was cold, and his eyes were even colder.

A bright moon hangs in the sky, its clear light casting shadows on two slender figures at opposite ends of the arched bridge, silently facing each other.

Li Zhige stared at him and slowly said, "You should know that you are not suitable for her."

"Oh?" Cui Yutang's voice rose slightly at the end.

"Your family is too large and has very strict rules," Li Zhige said, enunciating each word clearly. "She has a free and easy nature, and if she marries into your Cui family, it will only suppress her true self. Besides, you have too many undesirable romantic interests—first Princess Yuzhen, and now Princess Chaoyang, both women with immense power. The last time she almost lost her life was all your fault."

He paused, his tone becoming more certain: "But I'm different. My family is simple; my grandmother and sister both like her, and I don't have any of those messy women around me right now. So I'm more suitable for her."

Under the moonlight, Cui Yutang remained silent for a moment.

Then he spoke, his voice soft but clear: "Your analysis of my shortcomings is quite good and objective. Thank you for pointing it out. I will work hard to remove these obstacles for her in the future."

He then changed the subject: "But you don't understand yourself at all."

Li Zhige frowned slightly.

"Your family is small because your clan lacks long-term planning and the foundation for its continued existence," Cui Yutang said calmly. "As military officers, you are weak and powerless in the court, which is not an advantage. If any trouble arises, no one in the court or outside will stand up for you, and it will lead to the extermination of your entire family."

"Secondly, you will be going to the battlefield in the future. Your future wife will not only have to worry about your life and death every day, but will also have to spend many years alone in an empty house."

Cui Yutang looked at him, her gaze cold and frosty: "I've always felt that I'm not good enough, and I admit it. But how do you have the audacity to think that you're more suitable for her? To put it bluntly, it's because you don't love her enough."

Li Zhige's expression changed.

"Furthermore, as a military officer, it's clear from our conversation that you lack political acumen," Cui Yutang continued. "This makes me worry about your future. You'd better think carefully about what you're doing."

He turned around, ready to leave, but then paused.

"There's one more thing," he said without turning around, "I'm not your enemy, and we don't need to come to this."

After saying that, he left the arched bridge without looking back.

Under the moonlight, Li Zhige stood alone in the same spot, motionless for a long time.

As Cui Yutang walked down the corridor, his steps grew heavier and heavier.

It turns out that Li Roujia had even ordered an assassination attempt on her.

It seems that the Rong'an Prince's Mansion cannot be kept.

The next day, before dawn, a white figure appeared in the East Kitchen, a rare sight.

Upon receiving the urgent report, Baoyu searched everywhere and finally stopped at the entrance of the East Kitchen. He rubbed his eyes, feeling completely numb—was he hallucinating so early in the morning? How could his master be in a place like this?

Inside the east kitchen, Cui Yutang stood in front of the stove, dressed in white with his sleeves slightly rolled up, his movements as he handled the noodles elegant and focused. Beside him lay an open book, surprisingly a cookbook with illustrations, which he would occasionally glance at for comparison as he cooked.

"Master, what are you doing?" Baoyu finally couldn't help but ask.

"She ate a little little last night, so I'll make her a bowl of warm noodles to warm her stomach." Cui Yutang said without turning his head, his hands moving without stopping.

Baoyu stood at the door, opened her mouth, then closed it again.

Did all the cooks of the prestigious Cui family of Qinghe die?

He quickly went outside and glanced around. Luckily, no one was there. If this got back to the manor, it would be a real problem. He had no choice but to suppress what he wanted to say and stand guard outside, vigilantly watching the surroundings.

A short while later, Cui Yutang came out carrying a tray.

On the tray sits a bowl of noodles. The broth is golden and clear, the noodles are thin, white and even, and a half-cooked egg rests on top. It is garnished with a few sprigs of bright green scallions, and there is a small dish of pickles on the side.

"What was it that you were so eager to find me about?" Cui Yutang asked calmly, holding the tray steadily.

"Cui Shijiu has arrived and said there's news about the Miao people."

Cui Yutang's eyes flickered slightly as he gently handed the tray to Baoyu: "Take these noodles to her, I'll go check on her."

He paused, then added, "Be careful not to spill it."

"Yes, Master."

When Cui Yutang arrived at the study, he saw Cui Shijiu, dressed in a black outfit, waiting at the door. Upon seeing him, Cui Shijiu immediately bowed.

"master."

"How's it going?" Cui Yutang asked in a cold tone as he walked straight into the study.

Cui Shijiu followed behind him and reported in a low voice: "After we poisoned Princess Chaoyang, she was initially unwilling to reveal any information. So we increased the dosage and simultaneously administered hallucinogenic drugs, which finally induced her to reveal the Miao woman's whereabouts. We then sent more people to secretly arrest her for several days before finally capturing the Miao woman."

"Could we find out the identity of that Miao person?"

"She claims to be the holy maiden of the Black Miao tribe and says she wants to see you, otherwise she won't cooperate even if you kill her."

Cui Yutang tapped his fingers lightly on the table and remained silent for a moment.

"Oh?"

"Should I bring her here to see you?"

Cui Yutang raised his eyes, his gaze icy: "Don't let her defile my Chaoyi Villa. Take her to the dark dungeon in Qinghui Garden first."

"Yes, Master." Cui Shijiu accepted the order and left.

The study fell silent again. Cui Yutang stood by the window, gazing at the gradually brightening sky in the distance, then got up and walked towards Xie Yige's boudoir.