At that moment, someone from the palace arrived. "Prince Tiancheng, the Emperor invites you to dine in the palace." Song Guo asked the visitor, "May I ask what this is about?" "The Emperor said there’s still more to discuss regarding the matter between you and Princess Wen Yi." Ye Yiheng replied indifferently, "Let’s go." Song Guo thought he had heard wrongly and gently reminded, "Your Highness, it’s about Princess Wen Yi." Ye Yiheng’s gaze swept past, he wasn’t going to the palace just to discuss some nonsensical issues with Baili Shuo, he was there to keep an eye on a certain restless woman! At the very least, to be closer to a certain lady. Leng Yu Yan and Baili Zhengrong had lunch in the Princess Consort Yu’s chambers and then questioned some people about the deaths of the Princes in their infancy. Listening to the stories, Leng Yu Yan couldn’t discern any key clues. The only commonality was that all the deceased Princes had lived in the Prince’s Mansion. Thereupon, she decided to visit the Prince’s Mansion. Princess Consort Yu said, "That place is where the Emperor and many in the harem have suffered great sorrow, and it is now sealed. If you want to visit, have someone bring a ladder to climb over the wall." Looking at the young woman dressed as a man, graceful and dashing, Princess Consort Yu became even more pleased and couldn’t help but advise, "Be careful when you climb the wall!" Leng Yu Yan smiled, "We will be careful." Baili Zhengrong couldn’t help saying, "Mother, do not worry, my sister is very skilled, climbing walls is nothing to her." Princess Consort Yu nodded her head but still instructed, "Xiaoshan, you are a man, you should protect the ladies." Baili Zhengrong agreed. Before long, as they left Princess Consort Yu’s palace and were en route to the Prince’s Mansion, they unexpectedly encountered Ye Yiheng and Baili Wenyi. Leng Yu Yan pulled on Baili Zhengrong’s sleeve, just about to avoid them, when unexpectedly she heard Ye Yiheng call out, "What are you avoiding?" His words were clearly meant for her. Leng Yu Yan had no choice but to let go of Baili Zhengrong’s sleeve and stop in her tracks. Baili Wenyi said, "After lunch, has Your Highness still not discussed our marriage with my Father Emperor?" Ye Yiheng did not answer Baili Wenyi but addressed Leng Yu Yan’s back instead, "As a Tiancheng person, upon seeing me, do you not show respect?" Leng Yu Yan, unwillingly, moved her feet and came forward to the person, bowing her head submissively, and bent her knee, "Greetings, Your Highness." Ye Yiheng reached out his long arm, and in the presence of both Baili Zhengrong and Baili Wenyi, his slender fingers lifted her chin. Leng Yu Yan turned her head struggling, only to have her chin pinched tighter by his fingers. Baili Zhengrong quickly stepped forward, anxiously exclaiming, "Let go of my sister!" Ye Yiheng waved his hand, causing Baili Zhengrong to retreat several meters and fall to the ground. Ignoring the pain from the fall, he got up from the ground and went before Ye Yiheng again, trying to protect Leng Yu Yan. Afraid that he would suffer again, Leng Yu Yan glanced sideways, "Xiaoshan, I’m fine." Standing to the side, Baili Wenyi’s lips curled up in a sneer, "Your Highness getting angry over such a woman isn’t worth it!" Only then did Leng Yu Yan look up and meet his gaze, "I have shown my respect, Your Highness. Why do you dishonor me? Do you want all of Nandian to know that the Heir of Tiancheng behaves so disgracefully?" Her words confirmed for Baili Wenyi that Ye Yuan had indeed decreed to strip Leng Yu Yan of her title as the Crown Princess Consort; thinking this, she leaned closer to Ye Yiheng. Seeing Baili Wenyi moving closer to him, Leng Yu Yan blurted out without thinking, "Your Highness is about to be newly married; I wish you and the Princess great joy in your marriage, a perfect match, partners in crime, truly made for each other!" Upon hearing this, Ye Yiheng’s mood inexplicably improved. He released her chin. "Follow me back to the hostel." Leng Yu Yan stepped towards Baili Zhengrong, "I still have things to do, I won’t be returning yet." Ye Yiheng fell silent, his gaze upon Leng Yu Yan growing colder as he raised his hand, preparing to strike Baili Zhengrong in the face. Leng Yu Yan hurriedly stepped in front of Baili Zhengrong, pleading, "Can’t I return?" Ye Yiheng indifferently withdrew his hand. ɴᴇᴡ ɴᴏᴠᴇʟ ᴄʜᴀᴘᴛᴇʀs ᴀʀᴇ ᴘᴜʙʟɪsʜᴇᴅ ᴏɴ 𝓷𝓸𝓿𝓮𝓵✶𝓯𝓲𝓻𝓮✶𝓷𝓮𝓽 Seeing her in a hurry for Baili Zhengrong, stirred up unpleasant feelings within him. Leng Yu Yan turned to Baili Zhengrong, "I’ll go back first. We’ll discuss this matter later." Baili Zhengrong nodded, planning to go to the Prince’s Mansion himself to check things out. Moreover, he wasn’t yet Ye Yiheng’s match. If he followed back to the hostel now, it would only put his sister at a disadvantage. The pressing issue for him was to find evidence to deal with Princess Wen Yi. Although he wasn’t sure why Ye Yiheng was close to Baili Wenyi, their close relationship implied something special. Given this, he needed to find clues fast to bring down Baili Wenyi, which would be akin to striking Ye Yiheng. Watching Ye Yiheng walk away with Leng Yu Yan, Baili Wenyi chased after them. Baili Zhengrong stopped her, "At your age, can’t you show some decency?" Baili Wenyi, infuriated, glared back, speechless. Her age was indeed her Achilles’ heel. After some time, Leng Yu Yan reluctantly followed Ye Yiheng onto the carriage. "I wanted you to come back to the hostel with me, and you were unwilling, forcing me to take action before you complied," Ye Yiheng sneered coldly. "Is he that important to you?" So important that she would always protect him. Leng Yu Yan scoffed in return, "Xiaoshan protected me coming to Nandian, now I protect him. Is there something wrong with that?" Ye Yiheng clenched his jaw, furiously retaliating, "Protect each other? You protect that boy to the point of discussing marriage, and next you’ll protect each other into bed?" Hearing his hurtful words again, Leng Yu Yan froze. She intertwined her hands tightly, struggling to control her emotions, not letting herself break down in front of him. Suddenly, she realized something based on what she had heard from Princess Wen Yi earlier... He had come to Nandian for the marriage discussions with Princess Wen Yi! After all, Ye Yuan was willing to strip her of the title of Crown Princess Consort to allow Princess Wen Yi to enter the Eastern Palace. He was discussing marriage with Princess Wen Yi, yet he had the audacity to accuse her? Not wanting to argue further, Leng Yu Yan simply stopped talking. The two remained silent, until they got off the carriage and entered the hostel. In the front hall of the hostel, Miao Zhu and Song Guo, who rarely stood together, were surprised to see the two Highnesses walking side by side. Arriving at their quarters, Leng Yu Yan glanced sideways at him, suppressing her emotions and headed into her room. Ye Yiheng followed her closely, not too far or too near. She didn’t know why he was following her, but her instinct told her he was seething with anger. He was angry, so was she. With that thought, she pushed open her room door. As the door swung open, something fuzzy and gray fell from the doorframe, dropping straight down, barely missing the tip of her nose. The object thudded to the floor – it was a large, dead rat! She shrieked in fright, stomping and hopping as if the dead rat had fallen on her. Seeing the person behind her, she reflexively hid in his embrace. Ye Yiheng took the opportunity to wrap his arms around her, his eyes narrowed slightly, also seeing the dead rat on the floor. Leng Yu Yan, realizing she needed to keep her distance, struggled to get out of his embrace. The man wouldn’t give her a chance, tightening his hold on her. "Come back to Tiancheng with me, hmm?"