Did Miss become a nun today?

After Pei Changying left, Xie Yunchu breathed a sigh of relief and dared not keep Meng Qi'an any longer.

"You can leave now. We can talk about it another day."

Pei Changying isn't stupid. She promised not to tell anyone, but she might still come back later if she's worried.

Meng Qi'an knew he shouldn't linger, so before leaving he looked at her and said, "What I said just now, I meant it."

"Pei Changying has already entered the palace, and Pei Changyu won't be far behind."

Xie Yun Chu bit her lip and clenched her fists. "Young Master Meng, you'd better think this through. If you marry me, you'll be targeted."

"I know."

"just in case......"

"There's no 'what if.' I've said it before, since I'm marrying you, I can protect myself and I can protect you."

Xie Yun Chu hesitated for only a moment, as if she had made a great decision, and nodded, "Okay, I agree."

Meng Qi'an's bright eyes relaxed when he heard that word, like someone who had waited a lifetime was finally willing to turn around and look at him.

Overjoyed, incredulous, the bright moon hung high, now shining alone upon him.

He stepped forward and took a copy of the Buddhist scripture she had copied. "This is your promise to me. With Buddha as witness, you can't go back on your word."

"Yes, I won't go back on my word."

"Now, you and I are truly in the same boat."

Meng Qi'an left with a smile; if he didn't leave soon, his ears would turn bright red and give him away.

When he left the East Palace, his steps were much faster than when he came, and the corners of his mouth were curved, which even the guards at the door could see.

"It's rare to see Hanlin Meng in such a good mood. Is something good happening today?"

He then realized that he had been a little carried away, slowed his pace, and suppressed his smile. "It is naturally gratifying that the discussion of state affairs with Your Highness went smoothly."

He stepped onto the palace path, his hand tightly clutching the page of Buddhist scripture hidden in his sleeve.

Stepping out of the palace gate, walking along the long street, turning into the quiet alley, and finally pushing open the door to my home and entering the study, I unfolded the page and placed it on the desk.

Sunlight streamed in through the window and fell directly onto that page of paper.

I'd heard before that her handwriting was bad, and Pei Changfeng and Wei Lin always teased her about it. But now, how is it bad? She clearly wrote it very carefully.

She was copying the Heart Sutra. The ink was even and the brushstrokes were clean and crisp. When she wrote complex characters, she would unconsciously pause at the tip of her brush, as if she was thinking about something while writing, leaving a very light ink dot.

He gently pressed his fingertip against the ink mark and didn't move it away for a long time.

*

Because of their collaboration, it was only natural for the two to meet again.

It's just a little different from what I expected; it used to be two people, but now it's three.

Every time Meng Qi'an arrived, Pei Changying would arrive shortly after, insisting on sitting between the two of them.

"Aren't you going to stay with the princess?"

Pei Changying shook her head, "The princess's cat scratched her today. Her Highness the Crown Princess summoned the imperial physician, and there are nannies attending to her."

"A scratch? Is it serious?"

"Luckily, I wasn't there at the time and couldn't shield her..." She said with some guilt, lowering her head and speaking in a muffled voice.

"Did the Crown Princess say anything?" Xie Yun Chu asked.

"They didn't say anything."

But she was, after all, the princess's study companion, and she also bore responsibility for the princess's injury.

Xie Yun Chu patted her head and comforted her for a few words. Princess Ning An had often been scratched by that cat before, and the Crown Princess had been very worried about her.

Pei Changying, his eyes red-rimmed, gripped her sleeve. "Are you really alright?"

"It's alright, Her Majesty is a very kind person and won't blame you. Just be more careful next time."

The two talked for a while, and Meng Qi'an was completely forgotten. Pei Changying turned her head away from where Xie Yun Chu couldn't see and raised an eyebrow at Meng Qi'an.

See? With her around, my cousin won't pay any attention to him.

"Cousin, can I sleep at your place tonight?"

Xie Yun Chu did not refuse. Pei Chang Ying had just come of age and was only acquainted with Xie Yun Chu in the palace, so she should take care of her to some extent.

After the two finished speaking, she remembered that Meng Qi'an was still there, and felt a little embarrassed.

Pei Changying was quite pleased with herself. "Young Master Meng, please don't mind. My cousin and I grew up together, so we're naturally close. I heard you also have a younger cousin. If you're envious, you can go home and find her."

Meng Qi'an didn't bother arguing with the young girl. "Miss Xie is a very good person, and it's only natural that Miss Pei is close to her."

Pei Changying secretly rolled her eyes. Listen to that! How clever she was to say that. She agreed with her and praised her cousin at the same time. How cunning!

Pei Changying stayed for a meal, but Meng Qi'an naturally wouldn't stay long and got up to take his leave.

In the following days, Pei Changying was wary of Meng Qi'an. If Xie Yun Chu didn't know her purpose, she would have suspected that this girl had taken a liking to Meng Qi'an.

After several days, she couldn't have a proper conversation with Meng Qi'an. She wanted to discuss the matter of a fake marriage, but several days had passed and she hadn't uttered a single complete sentence.

Until Princess Ning'an's cat was sent away by the Crown Princess, Pei Changying finally had no time for that, spending all her time with the princess and no longer having time to come.

But she didn't come, and Meng Qi'an didn't have time to come either, while Prince Su did come.

When a small pebble landed in front of her window, she knew that His Highness had come again.

The Eastern Palace is now heavily guarded, so in order to avoid being discovered, he can only walk on the rooftops.

Xie Yun Chu was helpless. She had seen this prince from afar at the Du family's residence last time and had only heard that he was approachable and easy to talk to.

She's easy to talk to and has a friendly personality, but I'm a little unaccustomed to her always being on her roof.

"Your Highness, what brings you here today?"

A laugh came from the rooftop, "That's not a nice thing to say. I've been bringing you so much information lately, otherwise you would have been tricked by that Pei family brat long ago."

"Do you know why Meng Hanlin hasn't been here lately? He's almost driven crazy by Pei Changyu. Now, nearly ten years' worth of official documents from the Hanlin Academy are on his shoulders, and he doesn't even have time to drink water."

"Your Highness, since you're so kind-hearted, why don't you just help him out of this predicament?"

This Prince Su seems like a good person, but after getting to know him, his words and actions don't seem like those of a good person.

It's more like they're trying to sow discord and enjoy watching the drama unfold.

"Given my status, it's not appropriate for me to interfere in matters between my subjects. However... you're to my liking, so if you ask, I might be willing to help."

Oh, so you know your own identity?

Why didn't you reveal your identity when you were climbing walls and rooftops?

She wouldn't fall for that; anyone who says that is up to no good.

He stopped talking, sat by the window flipping through a book, and acted as if no one existed.

Prince Su, not wanting to be disliked, listened for a long time without any movement from below, then smiled and got up to leave.

As they left the East Palace, they happened to run into Pei Changyu, who was coming off duty. "One bad news, one good news, which do you want to hear first?"

Pei Changyu had dark circles under his eyes and looked listless.

"Since you've been having a tough time lately, I'll tell you some good news first."

"Your cousin is very responsible; it's difficult for Meng Qi'an to even exchange a word with her."

"And the bad news?" Pei Changyu asked casually.

"Are you sure you want to hear bad news?" Prince Su looked him up and down. "Can you handle it?"

He leaned closer and whispered, "Bad news, His Highness the Crown Prince is about to bestow a marriage upon your cousin and Meng Qi'an."