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

He didn't deny it, but simply hugged her tighter and gave a muffled reply.

"Yes. I'm afraid I won't be able to marry you."

Xie Yige felt as if her heart had been gently squeezed.

"Yige, can you comfort me?" His voice was low and husky, with a hint of coquetry.

"No, my brother is still outside," she protested softly.

"I'll be very careful, he won't know." His voice was low, with a seductive warmth.

"No, Cui Yutang." She gently touched his cheek with her own, as if soothing a small animal. "How about we meet at the villa tomorrow?"

She paused, a faint blush rising to her cheeks: "Then... you can do whatever you want."

Cui Yutang's heart started racing instantly, and a flame seemed to ignite in his deep phoenix eyes.

"It's a deal then, no take-backs allowed."

"Yes, I won't go back on my word."

"Then let me hug you again."

"Um."

Almost an incense stick's time later, Xie Yige returned to her seat.

Zhou Xuan'an glanced at her carefully and found nothing unusual except for a slight flush on her cheeks.

He put down his chopsticks and casually asked, "Why did you take so long?"

"I chatted with Yu Niang for a bit longer." Xie Yige picked up her chopsticks without changing her expression, took a piece of fish, and asked, "Brother, is the food here to your liking?"

"Yes, it's delicious. I really like it." Zhou Xuan'an nodded. He actually loved food, but he was usually quite disciplined and focused on his scientific research, so he seemed to have low material desires.

"Brother, I'm taking Zhixia to see Yu Xiaoshan, the master of Liuying Pavilion, later. I need him to do something for me. Can you go back by yourself later?"

Zhou Xuan'an frowned immediately: "What do you want with him? Are you going to do something dangerous?"

"Brother, your sister values ​​her life very much, don't worry." Xie Yige winked at him and laughed carefree.

Yu Xiaoshan's whereabouts are unpredictable, but he was lucky today. He happened to be at Qianji Tower and bumped into Xie Yige.

Hidden in an elegant place, the Thousand Machine Tower appears to be a three-story book pavilion and tea garden, but in reality, it is a place where various intelligence information is gathered.

Yu Xiaoshan lived in the attic above the third floor. When Xie Yige entered, she saw him leisurely brewing tea. His fingers were long and slender, hanging above the bronze stove. His mysterious purple eyes were half-open, and his whole being exuded a lazy yet dangerous aura.

"Young master, please sit down and have a cup of tea."

Xie Yige sat down opposite him, picked up her teacup, took a light sniff, and was slightly taken aback: "Huh, isn't this the top-grade Mengding stone flower tea exclusively for the royal family? How come you have it here?"

"Why can't I have it here?" Yu Xiaoshan put down his teacup, relaxed into a more comfortable position, and casually curled the corners of his mouth. "Did you come to see me today because you have something to tell me?"

"Um, I wanted to ask you, is there any way to quickly contact my parents?"

"Of course."

"How soon can I expect to receive their message?"

"Three days."

"That's amazing?" Xie Yige's peach blossom eyes widened instantly, and her voice involuntarily rose a few decibels. "May I ask why you were able to do it so quickly? Donglin City is very far from Chang'an."

Yu Xiaoshan chuckled softly at her surprised expression, then stood up and walked to the window, gently blowing on his finger. A gyrfalcon appeared out of nowhere and landed steadily on the windowsill. It was entirely white, except for a few streaks of ink on its wingtips, and its eyes were sharp and haughty.

"Thanks to it." Yu Xiaoshan stroked its back and casually fed it some food. "It was specially trained by a Wind Horn Master. If it doesn't stop midway, it can fly nearly a thousand miles a day. Your mother has one too."

"This is amazing! Can I feed it?"

"Okay." Yu Xiaoshan handed her the food.

Xie Yige nervously placed the food in her palm and carefully approached it. The gyrfalcon tilted its head, glanced at her, and then, quite graciously, lowered its head and quickly snatched the food from her hand.

The moment the sharp beak touched her palm, it tickled slightly, and she couldn't help but laugh.

"It seems it likes you a lot." Yu Xiaoshan looked at her upturned eyebrows, his gaze softening. "I'll teach you how to summon it."

He taught her the techniques of whistling and the important points to note regarding the length of breaths. Xie Yige was already proficient in music and quickly got the hang of it, producing accurate syllables after just a few tries. The gyrfalcon listened, tilted its head, and let out a short cry, as if in response.

"May I borrow paper and pen? I need to write a letter to my parents."

Yu Xiaoshan pointed to the writing implements on the table, and as she picked up her brush, she suddenly said in a low voice, "You really need to hurry up, there are quite a few people watching him."

Xie Yige's hand froze as she wrote, her face darkening: "What do you mean?"

"But there's no need to worry for now, there are people protecting us from above." Yu Xiaoshan picked up his teacup again, took a leisurely sip, and said no more.

Xie Yige paused for a moment, then continued writing the letter. She carefully folded the letter, tied it to the gyrfalcon's leg, and gently stroked its back. The gyrfalcon flapped its wings, let out a clear cry, and soared into the sky, disappearing into the horizon in the blink of an eye.

She watched it fly away, feeling a little more at ease. Before leaving, she looked at Yu Xiaoshan very seriously and said, "If you have any news, tell me immediately. Don't try to talk to me in riddles."

Yu Xiaoshan also abandoned his lazy demeanor and bowed respectfully in return, saying, "Young Master, as you command."

After Cui Yutang returned to the Prime Minister's residence, he asked Baoyu to move the betrothal gift list to his study. Several tall stacks of books filled his desk.

"Master, isn't it supposed to be another eight or nine days before we get any news? Do you want to verify it now?"

"We'll proceed simultaneously without delay." Cui Yutang flipped through the books one by one, his gaze carefully scanning the entries. "Add the Chaoyi Villa and its corresponding land deeds and servant deeds to the betrothal gift list."

Bao Yu was taken aback: "Master, that villa is your favorite property..."

"She also put the Persian Pavilion in there; she seems to like the jewelry and jade there."

"Master, these two properties are too large," Baoyu couldn't help but remind him. "Especially Chaoyi Villa, my grandfather and the clan elders will have objections if they find out."

"That's my private property; they have no right to interfere." Cui Yutang didn't even look up, turning another page. "Has everyone arrived in the capital yet?"

"The clan elders have been arriving from Qinghe one after another these past few days. My grandfather expects to be looking for you soon, and he doesn't seem to be here with good intentions."

"Okay, I understand."

Cui Yutang put down his pen, his gaze falling on the pear tree outside the window. The entire process of betrothal, asking the name, presenting auspicious gifts, exchanging betrothal gifts, setting the wedding date, and the wedding ceremony—it was all so time-consuming! When would he finally be able to marry her?!

It seems we need to compress the time required for the first four steps.