Who said the eldest daughter is crazy? She's clearly a woman of high rank and influence in the

A figure in dark blue stepped into the inn. Helian Jing's face was covered with black iron. His gaze swept over Deng Yanzhi, who was kneeling on the ground, over the hand that Deng Yanzhi was extending towards Xi Yueli, and finally landed on Xi Yueli's face.

Helian Jing walked over, the hem of his moon-white robe brushing lightly past Deng Yanzhi. He bent down, his arms passing under Xi Yueli's knees and lower back, and lifted her up from the chair in front of Deng Yanzhi.

Xi Yueli did not struggle. She placed the teacup on the table and casually put her hand on Helian Jing's shoulder.

After Helian Jing held her securely, he turned his head to the side, and his eyes, hidden beneath the black iron mask, fell on Deng Yanzhi.

"You've mistaken me for someone else. This is my wife. She can't accept such a generous greeting from a stranger. Please leave."

He carried Xi Yueli and turned to walk towards the stairs, his steps steady and composed. As he passed the counter, he nodded to the shopkeeper, as if to indicate that there was no need to disturb him.

Deng Yanzhi knelt there, looking in the direction where the two people disappeared at the corner of the stairs. Tears slid down his chin and dripped onto the blue brick floor, forming several dark dots.

The innkeeper finally put down his abacus and cleared his throat: "Sir, would you... perhaps you could get up?"

Deng Yanzhi knelt there for a few more breaths before slowly supporting himself on his knees to stand up and turn to walk towards the inn's entrance. His steps were somewhat hesitant, as if each step was on some unsteady ground.

As he stepped out of the threshold, he turned his head slightly, glancing one last time at the stairs. His tearful eyes churned with resentment, yet he had no right to take another step forward.

After turning two corners on the stairs, Helian Jing kicked open the door to the side room, carried Xi Yueli inside, and closed the door behind him.

He placed her on the soft couch by the window, and as he straightened up, he leaned down, bracing himself on the edges of the couch on either side of her body, trapping her between the window frame and himself.

The twilight shone through the paper window, illuminating his eyes, which were hidden beneath his black iron mask, making them appear both bright and deep.

"Li'er".

He repeated those two words in a low voice, as if slowly grinding them out between his teeth. "He calls you Li'er."

Xi Yueli leaned back on the couch, looking up at him. His usual lazy and aloof demeanor was completely gone, his jawline was taut with a faint line, and the slight curve of his lips was completely flat. His entire face showed only one thing: he was unhappy.

She smiled slightly, and Helian Jing noticed. His fingers, which were resting on the edge of the couch, tightened slightly, and his voice lowered even further: "What are you laughing at?"

"Your Highness looks jealous." Xi Yueli leaned back on the couch, her hands folded on her knees, her posture extremely relaxed. Her almond-shaped eyes sparkled in the twilight, carrying a deliberately innocent air.

"The Prince Chen, who used to never even raise his eyelids in the court of Daying, is now almost wearing through the floorboards of the inn just for a title."

Helian Jing leaned forward, shortening the distance between them to just a hand's breadth. His breath brushed against her face, carrying the chill from outside.

"I ask you, back when you were in the Xi residence, did you have any feelings for him?"

Xi Yueli blinked. She didn't answer immediately, but tilted her head slightly, her gaze moving slowly from his eyes to his jawline and back to his eyes, as if she were admiring an interesting painting.

"Why does Your Highness ask this?"

"Answer me." Helian Jing's voice lowered another notch, carrying a slightly feverish urgency that had been worn down by her deliberate delay.

Xi Yueli pursed her lips, suppressing the smile in her eyes. She extended her index finger and gently touched his chin, then her fingertip slowly slid down his jawline to his Adam's apple, stopping there and feeling the slight, rapid movement there.

"What does Your Highness think?"

After she finished speaking those four words, she let go of her hand, leaned back against the couch, and finally couldn't suppress the smile on her lips, which spread from the corner of her mouth to the depths of her eyes.

Looking at her like this, Helian Jing felt as if the urgency in his eyes had been doused with warm water. He looked down at her for a moment.

"Xi Yue Li." He called her by her full name, the urgency in his voice fading. "If you don't tell me, I'll pretend you didn't exist, and you're not allowed to have one in the future."

He leaned down, his lips landing on her forehead. He tried to straighten up, but she reached out and grabbed his sleeve.

"Your Highness," her voice was calm and reassuring, "His name is 'Li'er,' but I've never responded to him."

Helian Jing bent down and approached her again. The helplessness in his eyes, hidden beneath the black iron mask, had dissipated, and what resurfaced was brightened by the twilight.

The South Street of Tingzi Mansion is most bustling before nightfall.

As the sun began to set, lanterns were lit in the shops along the street, vendors selling roasted chestnuts pushed their carts along the street, and when the lids of the wonton stalls were lifted, a cloud of white steam rose, carrying the savory aroma of bone broth that wafted across half the street.

When Xi Yueli came out of the inn, she changed into a casual lotus-colored cloth dress and tied her hair into a simple bun, which was held in place by a plain silver hairpin.

She walked down the street with a much more relaxed demeanor than when she was at the Northern Shuo Royal Court. Without the constraints of the black robe, her pace was neither fast nor slow, as if she were strolling along an old street she had visited many times before.

As she walked to the old locust tree in the middle of the street, she caught a glimpse of a figure in a blue robe sitting under the eaves of a tea stall across the street.

Deng Yanzhi sat there, the rough porcelain bowl in front of him was empty, but he did not ask the waiter to refill the water. He just sat on the bench without moving, his gaze passing through the pedestrians on the street and landing on her.

Xi Yueli continued walking forward, and stopped when she passed a shop selling velvet flowers. She looked down at the row of silk peonies on the stall, and then looked away.

At the street corner, Helian Jing stood under a newly lit lantern. Today he had changed into a dark gray long robe, and his black iron mask had been replaced with a half-silver gray one. The lantern light outlined his figure with a gentle silhouette.

He held two sugar figurines in his hands. The one on the left was shaped like a little rabbit, and the one on the right was shaped like a half-open flower. The sugar surface shimmered with an amber luster in the warm light.

He stood still, waiting for her to walk up to him. He held out his left hand and offered the little rabbit candy to her lips. "Try it."

Xi Yueli lowered her head and took a small bite. Just as she was about to take it herself, Helian Jing changed his posture. He freed his right hand, placed his palm on her lower back, and pulled her half a step to his side, letting her lean into his arm.

He brought the sugar figurine back to her lips, looked down at her, his gaze filled with a tender warmth illuminated by the lantern light, as if waiting for her to finish this bite before feeding her the next.

As he did all this, his peripheral vision was fixed on the direction of the tea stall across the street.

Deng Yanzhi stood beside a pillar in the tea stall. His gaze shifted from the hand that Helian Jing had wrapped around Xi Yueli's waist to the corner of Xi Yueli's mouth as she lowered her head to bite into a sugar figurine. His eyes seemed to have been brutally pierced by something.

The moment Helian Jing's gaze sank to its lowest point, he lowered his head and also took a bite of the sugar figurine.

When he leaned down, his lips landed on the tip of the little rabbit's ear that Xi Yueli had bitten, his cheek almost brushing against hers. Their lips were less than half a finger's width apart, as if they were just a hair's breadth away from touching.

After taking a small bite, he straightened up, turned his head to look at her, and the meaning in that glance was clearly "I did it on purpose".