Chapter 716: Chapter 716: Spouses’ Interest Gao Yuan dismounted and then asked, “Miss Mi, has something happened? You are here alone at this moment; from where did you escape?” Lai Manting warily looked toward the uniformly dressed young men behind him and feigned panic as she shook her head. Seeing that she still refused to speak, Gao Yuan’s brows furrowed slightly, and he silently thought that his previous refusal was likely why she was unwilling to speak with him. A woman’s mind is truly difficult to fathom. Gao Yuan sighed, raising his hand to have a horse brought over for her. “Miss Mi, you’d better mount the horse. Your family has been going mad searching for you these past few days.” Lai Manting had never ridden a horse, but now she was recognized as Mi Xinmei, which was a good start for assuming a new identity. Even if she couldn’t ride, she had to climb on. What she didn’t expect was that someone would find her so quickly. She had thought about returning to the capital city only after her face had fully healed, but now it seemed she had to go back ahead of schedule. Hidden in the darkness, Ghost Face saw that Lai Manting was helped onto the horse and smiled coldly behind his mask, his medical skills having reached their pinnacle so that changing a person’s face had become a trifling matter. Watching as Lai Manting followed the group and left, after the time it took for half a pot of tea to steep, Ghost Face had two subordinates carry a wooden box containing Mi Xinmei out of a dark, narrow alley. As the horses left the small town, Gao Yuan set off a firework as a signal. Seeing the signal from another direction, Mi Xinrong’s hanging heart finally settled. Judging by the distance from where the signal originated, they were very far apart, but the distance to the capital city should be about the same. In fact, whether it was Gao Yuan’s location or their current location, neither was far from the capital city; it would only take a little more than two hours by carriage. But since they had to investigate carefully once leaving the capital, the journey had taken quite some time. Thinking that the return trip would be much quicker and that he would soon see Xinmei, Mi Xinrong felt a burst of energy, despite his body not having rested for a long time. With this thought, he waved his hand and commanded the people following him to head back to the capital immediately. The daytime fireworks were not conspicuous, but for Leng Yuqing from the Prince Zhenbei Mansion, they were noteworthy. Latest content publıshed on 𝘯𝘰𝘷𝘦𝘭⟡𝘧𝘪𝘳𝘦⟡𝘯𝘦𝘵 The modified fireworks, being one of the most commonly used signals by the Prince Zhenbei Mansion, indicated that Gao Yuan or Mi Xinrong had made no small progress. With this news, Leng Yuqing hurriedly went to the Eastern Palace. Leng Yu Yan watched Ye Yiheng with a smile. Since early today, a certain someone had been in high spirits; early in the morning, he was either accompanying her to pick lotus flowers or to pluck peaches. When the sun climbed higher, he stayed with her to practice writing and painting. Now, as she said she wanted to read, he joined her in doing just that. “Your Highness, how come you have time today?” she asked curiously. “Haven’t they delivered the Petition to the palace?” Ye Yiheng looked up, meeting her eyes, and said with a light smile, “They have.” “Then why doesn’t Your Highness go to the Imperial Study? If the Petitions aren’t approved, Father Emperor might hold you accountable,” she said. The man had been with her from the moment he got up, which made her uncertain about the reason. To call it attentiveness, no. He just stayed with her in the same space, keeping a close distance without being too far away. To call it aloofness, even less so. In short, whatever she did, he followed suit. Upon hearing her question, Ye Yiheng stood up and flicked the book on her head. Leng Yu Yan covered the hit spot, “Why did you hit me?” “Do you not remember what day it is today?” Ye Yiheng tapped her forehead lightly again. “Today is the second day of the sixth month; it’s not any kind of festival.” Leng Yu Yan rubbed her forehead, pouting slightly, clearly dissatisfied at being flicked twice by him. Ye Yiheng sighed and shook his head, “Heartless.” Leng Yu Yan suddenly realized, stood up, and grabbed his sleeve, her voice clear, “Today is the day marking one month since our marriage!” “You finally realized,” Ye Yiheng smiled indulgently, “This morning, I had already ordered someone to tell father that the petition could be reviewed a day later.” “What if Father Emperor does not agree?” “If he does not agree, then we can only send the petition back to the Imperial Study unreviewed as it was.” Leng Yu Yan suddenly exclaimed angrily, “Father Emperor may sound considerate in public, letting you rest more because of your frailty. But in reality, by sending over so many petitions every day, he’s clearly using Your Highness as free labor.” Suddenly feeling her concern, Ye Yiheng’s mood greatly brightened. He pulled her into his embrace, his voice crisp, “Reviewing petitions is not useless. Many major national affairs, as well as the allegiance of various ministers who submit petitions, can be analyzed.” Besides, he considered it practice for ruling in the future. Leng Yu Yan pinched the fabric by his waist, her tone tender, “Since today commemorates a month of our marriage, let’s go out and have some fun, shall we?” “On such a hot day, where would Yanyan like to go?” “How about boating on the lake?” she said, her spirits dipping slightly, “I almost forgot that I get seasick. I was even thinking of going out now, having dinner on the boat and watching the bustling lights of the capital city from along the shore when the lanterns are first lit, which would surely be a delightful experience.” “That’s easy to solve. I’ll order someone to purchase a pleasure boat. When it’s time to eat, we dock, and if we want to sightsee, we just cruise slowly.” “There’s no need to buy one; renting will do.” “That won’t do, buying a newly made one is only appropriate for our new marriage,” Ye Yiheng stated, “The pleasure boat will have a bedroom; if Yanyan is in the mood, we can even spend the night on it.” Hearing this, Leng Yu Yan inexplicably thought of the time they escaped together to Beilan City, having spent several days on a boat. Each night when trying to sleep, she would feel discomfort because of seasickness, and reflecting on that, she slowly shook her head, “Nevermind, if I get seasick, it will ruin Your Highness’s enjoyment.” “Anchoring the ship to keep it steady should do the trick; you don’t need to worry about these things.” While they were talking, Ye Yiheng was about to order someone to go buy a pleasure boat. It was at this moment that Leng Yuqing hurried over. Seeing his younger sister in the embrace of the Crown Prince, he quickly lowered his gaze to greet, “Greetings to both Your Highnesses.” At the sound, Leng Yu Yan bashfully came out of Ye Yiheng’s embrace. “Brother, what brings you here?” Seeing his younger sister had already come forward, Leng Yuqing then stood upright, “Last night, Mi Xinrong set out with elite soldiers, and I ordered Gao Yuan to accompany them. More than one hour ago, I saw a signal flare outside the capital, indicating there must have been some development.” “In your opinion, what might the development be?” Leng Yu Yan asked. “I dispatched two teams of troops, Gao Yuan and Mi Xinrong should have led one team each to search from two different city gates. Since the signal flared, it’s unlikely due to a lack of manpower; it’s probably a breakthrough, and from what I see, likely good news.” Leng Yuqing did not dare to be too affirmative, especially in front of the austere Ye Yiheng. Being too certain would severely impact the impression of the Northern Garrison’s elite soldiers in the eyes of the Crown Prince. “If so, let’s return to the Prince Mansion quickly. Gao Yuan and Mi Xinmei will surely report back there, so we can be the first to know the outcome,” Leng Yu Yan said to Leng Yuqing. Thinking of Ye Yiheng, she quickly turned to him, “Your Highness, I’m sorry, but we can’t go out for fun today.” Ye Yiheng’s handsome face remained impassive and silent. Leng Yu Yan reached out to hold his hand, coyly and softly suggesting, “We can go play some other day, okay?”