Taking her into his tent, he incurred the wrath of a powerful and mad minister, from which he could

Xie Huaiyu stood upright, frowning: "Miss Li, I never agreed to do anything with you. From beginning to end, you were the one ordering me around and forcing me. Where I go is my own business."

"Besides, how did you find this place? Did you send people to follow me?"

The servants were all startled by the man's tough demeanor. How could he show no respect for the young lady at all?

Throughout Qingzhou, every young master treated Li Yunwan with utmost respect; no one had ever dared to embarrass her in public like this.

But Li Yunwan wasn't as angry as expected. She just pouted and said unhappily, "You're my future husband, who else would I choose if not you?"

Xie Huaiyu's face was burning with embarrassment. He couldn't stand Li Yunwan's shameless behavior, but he had no choice but to respond: "Because our engagement is already set, according to etiquette, we shouldn't meet so often in private. Miss Li, you should refrain from doing anything out of line, lest your father finds out and confines you to the mansion again."

The outrageous thing she did was imply that she drugged him and forced him to have sex with her.

Li Yunwan's expression was not good. She was afraid of angering him and having him reveal the shameful things that day in public, which would make her lose face. So she had to suppress her anger.

"Since you care about me so much, I will not hold it against you for breaking your promise today." Everyone could tell that this was Li Yunwan's attempt to save face.

"In that case, let's go back together."

Xie Huaiyu just wanted to get rid of her as soon as possible. He was afraid that Ji Mingyi would see Li Yunwan, and he didn't want Li Yunwan to find out that Ji Mingyi had come to Qingzhou.

Li Yunwan, of course, had no idea what he was thinking. She smiled again and warmly invited him to ride in the same car.

As the carriage drove away from Tianxiang Tower, Li Yunwan turned her head curiously and asked, "You still haven't told me what you're doing here?"

Xie Huaiyu kept his distance from her, his back lightly against the carriage wall, and said softly with his eyes closed, "I just want to be alone."

Seeing that he was unwilling to say more, Li Yunwan wisely stopped bothering him.

After nightfall, Xie Huaiyu deliberately avoided the Li family servants and came to Tianxiang Tower again.

As Ji Mingyi leaned closer to him, she caught a whiff of his perfume and raised an eyebrow, half-jokingly asking, "Brother Huaiyu, do you have a beautiful woman by your side when you're socializing?"

Xie Huaiyu subconsciously lowered his head and sniffed the fabric. It was the scent of begonia that Li Yunwan always loved. The fragrance clung to his clothes, making him feel a sense of disgust.

He showed no sign of panic, looked up at Ji Mingyi with sincere eyes: "She was a dancer hired by someone else, and I couldn't refuse. But don't worry, sister, I was just playing along and I absolutely didn't lay a finger on her."

Ji Mingyi knew that officials often sought out women during social gatherings, and Xie Huaiyu, having entered officialdom, would inevitably have to face these as well.

She smiled, seemingly unconcerned, and said, "I understand. Official social interactions are just about personal relationships; there's no need to take them to heart."

Seeing how understanding she was, Xie Huaiyu felt a pang of guilt.

He looked at her; she was so close, yet felt incredibly distant.

He called her name uneasily, "Mingyi".

"Hmm?" Mingyi was looking at the account book when she heard this and looked up.

Xie Huaiyu asked, "Do you like me?"

Mingyi blinked. "Of course I like it."

"So no matter what happens, you won't leave me, right?"

Hearing his question, Mingyi had a bad feeling, but she maintained her smile and said sincerely, "Of course!"

Relieved by the affirmative answer, Xie Huaiyu held Mingyi's hand, his eyes filled with love, and promised, "I will never let my sister down in this life."

...

During her stay in Qingzhou City these past few days, Mingyi has relaxed and gradually forgotten the shadow cast by the Zong Mansion, and she smiles more often.

Xie Huaiyu didn't come to see her every day, and she had her own things to do.

She visited almost every herbal medicine shop in Qingzhou City to gather information in preparation for opening her own shop in the future.

With the dividends given to her by Manager Fan, she could rent a shop in a good location.

Looking ahead, it seems full of hope.

Three days later is the annual Lantern Festival in Qingzhou City.

Before it was completely dark, colorful lanterns were already hanging in the long streets and alleys of the city, their lights shimmering and covering the entire city.

Mingyi hadn't seen such a lively scene in a long time. Yuegui dressed her up and put on a beautiful silk skirt.

The skirt was made of a rare soft gauze fabric, which was a gift from Lady Liu. It was exquisitely tailored and accentuated her figure perfectly.

She was already slender with soft, well-proportioned curves. The light gauze clung to her skin, and the skirt swayed gently with her steps, making her appear even more graceful and charming.

While at the Zong family mansion, she was always discreet and low-key, always wearing simple clothes and only a few simple pieces of jewelry, never daring to be ostentatious.

But things are different now. She has left the Zong family and can dress however she wants without having to worry about what others think.

Moreover, with the lantern festival in full swing today, the whole city is filled with couples going out together, and every young lady is dressed up in her finest attire. She is going to stroll through the streets and admire the lanterns with Xie Huaiyu tonight, so naturally she wants to dress up nicely as well.

Furthermore, Xie Huaiyu will be returning to the capital tomorrow to report on his duties, and it may be several days before we see each other again.

She wanted to leave him with an unforgettable memory, lest he be distracted by other women while he was in the capital.

Xie Huaiyu, on the other hand, found it difficult to extricate himself.

Li Yunwan pestered him, insisting on going to the lantern festival with him.

He spent a lot of time coaxing and pleading with her before he finally managed to persuade her to stay at home. But just as he was about to leave the Li residence, he bumped into Master Zong.

Zong Xian was dressed in a dark blue cross-collar python robe, while Li Dan, the prefect of Qingzhou, stood to the side with a respectful and obsequious smile.

Two gazes suddenly collided in mid-air. Xie Huaiyu's heart skipped a beat, and he immediately stepped forward and bowed in greeting.

"Why is Second Uncle here?"

Zong Xian said, "I've come to take care of something."

He was indeed there on official business, but it was no small matter; it concerned the Li family.

At this moment, a woman dressed in a pale yellow dress chased after them from the inner courtyard.

Li Yunwan ignored everyone else and went straight to Xie Huaiyu, grabbing his sleeve and speaking in a spoiled, unreasonable tone:

"No, I've changed my mind. You have to come with me to the lantern festival tonight! If you won't come with me, are you planning to see another woman?"

Xie Huaiyu felt stiff and uncomfortable all over, and subconsciously tried to pull his arm back.

"Yun Wan! With such an honored guest before you, do not be rude!" Li Dan shouted sternly.

Only then did Li Yunwan notice the man beside her father. She glanced at him and felt her heart tighten under the heavy and imposing pressure emanating from him.

He hurriedly let go of her hand, lowered his head, and stood obediently.

Li Dan quickly turned to Zong Xian with a forced smile: "Prime Minister, this is my daughter. She has been spoiled by her family since childhood, and her behavior is a bit unruly. I hope you will not take offense."

Zong Xian glanced at the flustered Xie Huaiyu and said in a gentle tone, "It's alright."

Li Dan waved his hand, signaling his daughter to return to the inner courtyard to avoid the danger.

After Li Yunwan left, Li Dan spoke again, saying to Zong Xian, "There is another piece of good news. I suppose Lord Xie has not yet mentioned it to you. My daughter and Lord Xie are deeply in love and have already arranged their marriage. The wedding ceremony will be held next month."

Upon hearing this, Zong Xian looked directly at Xie Huaiyu, his tone slow and deliberate, carrying a hint of scrutiny: "Is it you who intends to marry Lord Li's daughter?"