Taking her into his tent, he incurred the wrath of a powerful and mad minister, from which he could

Mingyi's eyes flickered slightly as she obediently walked up to him and curtsied, saying, "Second Uncle."

Zong Xian's gaze fell on her porcelain-white cheeks, and he raised a hand as if to touch her. Mingyi shrank back like a startled bird and subconsciously looked around warily.

He seemed very afraid of being seen behaving inappropriately.

Zong Xian eventually withdrew his hand. The young girl was shy, so he refrained from making things difficult for her.

He said, "I have found out who caused you to fall into the water. It was the third young master of the Lu family, the one who jumped into the lake to save you that day."

Upon hearing this, Mingyi feigned surprise and confusion, raising her hand to cover her mouth: "I have no grudge against him, why would he want to harm me?"

Zong Xian's eyes flashed with coldness: "He coveted your beauty, pushed you into the water, and tried to take advantage of you and tarnish your reputation. But I've already taught him a lesson and broken one of his legs. He can no longer bother you."

As Zong Xian spoke, his dark, lacquer-like eyes remained fixed on her.

Looking at his impeccably dressed and sanctimonious appearance, Mingyi thought to herself: What's the difference between you and Lu Zhangming, who was lusting after her beauty? You're just better at pretending than Lu Zhangming.

Mingyi felt utterly contemptuous, but on the surface she pretended to be extremely grateful, lowering her eyes and saying, "Thank you so much, Second Uncle, for getting justice for me. I am deeply grateful."

"Are you feeling any better?"

As soon as Zong Xian finished speaking, he noticed small red spots on the fair skin of her neck and was immediately startled: "What happened to your neck?"

The medication had fully taken effect, and Mingyi couldn't help but scratch herself, slightly out of breath. "It seems like an allergic reaction... It's cherry blossoms, I'm allergic to cherry blossom powder!"

Zong Xian's expression changed slightly. Without saying a word, he picked Mingyi up and carried her away from the place.

Mingyi didn't bother to struggle; she was truly in pain, so she let him take her back to Shuangxu Garden.

"Don't go to the warm pavilion, take me back to Frost Garden, I have medicine prepared there."

Zong Xian immediately changed direction.

Mingyi felt very awkward being held by him, but fortunately they didn't encounter many people on the way.

Zong Xian was a civil official who was also a military general. He carried her all the way to Shuangxu Garden. Apart from being slightly out of breath, his expression did not change at all.

Mingyi became even more convinced that he was faking his illness to impress outsiders.

Zong Xian placed her on the soft couch inside the room. Yue Gui, who had followed him all the way, was panting and sweating profusely, and hurriedly went to find medicine.

"Girl, we've found you!"

Mingyi swallowed the two pills, paused for a moment, and then Zongxian asked, "Should we call a doctor?"

"No need, I've already taken the medicine, I'll be fine in a bit. As long as I stay away from the allergen, it won't recur."

Zong Xian nodded slightly: "In that case, there's no need to go back to the warm pavilion."

"Mm." Mingyi lowered her eyes. "I'm fine now, Second Uncle, please go back."

Zong Xian's gaze fell on her neckline, where the red spots had not yet faded.

Mingyi felt uncomfortable under his gaze, so she turned her head away and raised her hand to adjust her clothes.

Zong Xian's gaze then shifted to her beautiful face. Thinking of the feeling of his palm on her waist when he held her earlier, he felt a slight heat rise in his throat, which he barely managed to suppress.

He didn't know how the old lady was progressing, but he was reluctant to wait any longer.

Seeing Zongxian sitting there so calmly and not leaving, Ming felt uneasy. Just as he was about to speak again, he heard Zongxian's deep voice say, "Has the old lady told you about this?"

What did you say?

Does he really want her to be his concubine?!

Mingyi couldn't manage a smile. Her hands, resting on her lap, clenched her dress tightly. She forced a smile and asked, "What is it that you're referring to, Second Uncle?"

Zong Xian replied knowingly, "It seems I haven't mentioned it to you yet."

Mingyi's heart tightened, and she quickly said, "The old lady said that when Brother Huaiyu returns, she will let me go to Qingzhou with him!"

A fleeting look of panic crossed Mingyi's face. Zong Xian stared at her intently, his thin lips parting slightly: "You can't go to Qingzhou."

He walked up to Mingyi, his tall frame looming over him, his eyes fixed on Ji Mingyi without any attempt to conceal his gaze. "You can only stay in the Zong family mansion, stay by my side."

He stopped hiding it and directly broke through the barrier.

Mingyi's pupils constricted sharply. "You...you can't do this. I'm Huaiyu's betrothed, and you're his second uncle!"

Mingyi was terrified and wanted to stand up and get away from him, but just as she was about to get up, a hand pressed her back down, and she fell back onto the soft couch, her heart sinking.

Zong Xian's fingers reached directly towards her collar, and Mingyi immediately grabbed his wrists tightly with both hands, saying in a panic, "Second Uncle, this is improper!"

Mingyi looked into his deep eyes and saw a hidden, clamorous desire.

She finally understood what it meant to invite a wolf into the house; hadn't she just invited a wolf into her house?!

Seeing the scene before her, Yuegui was frantic with worry. She steeled herself and knelt down with a thud: "Second Master, please don't make things difficult for the young lady! Please spare her!"

After saying that, she slammed her head on the ground, bang, bang, bang, and then kowtowed to the man in front of her, begging him to stop.

But Zong Xian wouldn't care about a mere maidservant, and called out to the outsider, "Chang Yu."

Chang Yu, who was waiting outside, immediately went inside and dragged Yuegui out without Zong Xian's permission.

"Second Master, please release the young lady..."

Chang Yu grabbed her arm and hissed, "Little girl, shut up if you want to live. Once Second Master has made up his mind, it won't matter if you kill yourself in front of him."

Chang Yu sensibly closed the door gently, then turned around and saw Yuegui kneeling by the door, her eyes filled with tears.

Chang Yu frowned. Looking at him so desperately, anyone who didn't know better would think that Second Master was some kind of jackal or tiger, or an old man in his fifties or sixties.

"Don't you know anything? Your daughter is very fortunate. Isn't it better for her to follow the Second Master than to suffer in Qingzhou? You should be happy for her. Stop crying, or the master will be annoyed if he sees you crying."

Laurel wipes away her tears and remains silent.

She wouldn't be happy for the girl unless the girl was willing.

Chang Yu thought that his second master would be inside doing business until dark, but to his surprise, he came out in less than a quarter of an hour.

So fast?

Chang Yu was surprised for a moment, but seeing that the Second Master was dressed neatly and looked calm, he knew that he had been overthinking things and that nothing had happened in the room.

Zong Xian didn't linger in the small, dilapidated courtyard. He strode away, giving the laurel tree on the ground a cool glance as he left, which startled her so much that she shuddered violently.

Chang Yu took a moment to react before hurriedly following.

Yuegui rushed into the room and saw her young lady sitting on the soft couch. Her clothes were not in a mess, except that the collar was a little wrinkled.

Yuegui's expression changed, and she said worriedly, "Miss, Second Master..."

"I asked him to give me two days to think about it."

Yuegui hesitated, "Then, young lady, are you really considering becoming the Second Master's concubine?"