Chapter 217 - 150:
Xie Wanqing glanced down and said with irritation, "Keep it for yourself."
Lu Ziyuan pursed his lips, suddenly clenching his fingers. The porcelain bottle in his hand instantly turned to powder, along with the pill, dispersing into the cold wind.
"Let’s go. It’s dark here, watch your step." He stepped aside to make way for her.
This was the first time after regaining memories of her past life that he didn’t resort to threats or allurements, instead directly abandoning coercion.
For some reason, her heart suddenly tightened, and she froze for a few moments before lifting her leg to leave.
As she rounded the dark artificial hill, she saw Erqing holding a cloak, looking around.
Xie Wanqing composed herself and walked over, saying, "Why did you take so long? I’m about to head back."
Erqing gave an embarrassed smile, "The servant is unfamiliar with the area and couldn’t find the room for changing clothes. Fortunately, Nanny Liu guided me."
Nanny Liu was a nanny Consort Shufei had just assigned to serve her.
Xie Wanqing gently nodded without asking further.
Master and servant returned to the main hall.
"Why did you take so long?" As soon as they sat down, the man next to her held her hand, "Where did you go? I went out looking for you just now but didn’t see you."
She had been outside for quite a while, and her hand was ice-cold. Pei Yuqing furrowed his brows slightly, gripping her hand tighter.
"Changed clothes and happened to see a corridor lined with palace lanterns, so I took a walk there and even picked a few branches of red plum." Xie Wanqing pointed to the red plum in Erqing’s hand and then asked him, "Where did you go looking for me?"
"I went to the opposite direction, the waterside pavilion and orchid house," Pei Yuqing said, "Nanny Liu said she saw you heading over there. Wasn’t it?"
Upon hearing this, Xie Wanqing’s heart skipped a beat.
Subconsciously, she turned her head to glance at her aunt, who was sitting gracefully below the Emperor.
Noticing her gaze, Consort Shufei also turned to look over and smiled gently at her.
That smile carried a hint of playful reproach.
As if saying, even if you’re meeting someone privately, consider the occasion, and still need me, your aunt, to clean up the aftermath.
... She knows!
Xie Wanqing’s breath hitched, her heart pounding with nervousness.
Her aunt knew her every move tonight.
The encounter with Ji Chengfeng was by chance, undeniable, and Xie Wanqing herself felt it was nothing.
But meeting Lu Ziyuan was certainly not by chance.
And her aunt knew she met Lu Ziyuan and even purposely directed Pei Yuqing to the wrong place to facilitate their meeting.
She also knew, even though she had been married for half a year, that Lu Ziyuan still lingered around her, not giving up.
... Does her aunt know what she and Lu Ziyuan talked about?
No, she wouldn’t know.
Lu Ziyuan’s combat power is immensely high; no one would be able to eavesdrop without him noticing.
Yet, people might imagine even more about what they don’t know.
She was taken by Lu Ziyuan to the back of the artificial hill for so long...
Thinking about it, the nervousness in Xie Wanqing’s heart instantly cooled by more than half.
Why did she die in her past life?
Wasn’t it because her cousin couldn’t defeat Lu Ziyuan, and upon realizing that Xie Wanqing was his true weakness, poisoned her to try and control Lu Ziyuan with her life?
It’s just unknown whether her body failed due to stress, accelerating the poison’s effects resulting in her death from a hemorrhage, or if Lu Xiyao increased the dosage on their own...
After all, during that month, she never took off the jade bracelet.
And this life, though she is married to someone else, her aunt has glimpsed Lu Ziyuan’s obsession with her.
A woman who has been in the palace for over twenty years, achieving the First Rank of Consort Shufei, would certainly not be soft-hearted.
What does she plan to use this for?
Pei Yuqing clearly noticed the distraction of the maiden beside him; he followed her gaze and saw Consort Shufei’s gentle, loving smile.
His thumb visibly stiffened for a moment; he was incredibly astute, nearly immediately piecing things together.
This suspicion was confirmed upon seeing Lu Ziyuan sitting down again across from them.
So coincidental, one returns, and the other does too.
With Lu Ziyuan’s keen perception, he immediately noticed the gaze directed at him, suddenly lifting his eyes to return it and realizing it was Pei Yuqing, his lips curled into a mocking yet ambiguous smile.
Rebellious.
Arrogant to the extreme.
Yet this arrogant smile froze upon seeing the hands of those two clasped together.