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

Mingyi took a deep breath, quickly lowered her eyes, and strode over. She stopped when she passed Xie Huaiyu, curtsied, and said, "Young Master Xie."

Distant yet polite, impossible to fault.

She doesn't even call him "cousin" anymore.

Xie Huaiyu felt a sudden, sharp pain in his heart, a dull, throbbing ache spreading through him, but he dared not show the slightest sign of distress on his face.

There were two other officials in the study, but only Xie Huaiyu rose to return the greeting.

From the moment she entered, the person above cast an ambiguous glance at her.

When she greeted Xie Huaiyu, her gaze became even more profound, sweeping between the two of them as if trying to find some clue.

But when Mingyi looked up, the man in the main seat had already withdrawn his gaze and casually raised his hand to sip his tea.

Mingyi kept his eyes straight ahead, moved to Zongxian's side, placed the tray in his hand on the table in front of him, and then stood quietly behind him.

The rumors of Zong Xian keeping a mistress in a golden house had already spread throughout Kyoto and were widely discussed, but no one had the good fortune to see the woman's beautiful face.

At that moment, the eyes of the two officials in the room fell on Ji Mingyi, and a look of amazement flashed across their eyes.

She truly is like a celestial being.

Such a beautiful woman with exquisite features and outstanding demeanor would make anyone reluctant to let her show her face in public and would only want to keep her hidden away.

The two of them were so engrossed in their conversation that they didn't realize that Zong Xian had witnessed the whole scene.

"What is the meaning behind your two gentlemen staring at my concubine like that?"

Upon hearing this indifferent voice, the two of them snapped out of their daze, instantly feeling a chill and quickly lowering their eyelashes.

One of them hurriedly tried to cover it up: "She was originally your concubine, sir. I was blind just now. I was so impressed by your beauty that I lost my composure and acted rudely. I hope Your Excellency will forgive me!"

The other person followed suit, bowing deeply. A thin layer of sweat had already seeped from his back, and he dared not look at Mingyi again.

Zong Xian leaned against the large sandalwood desk, his fingertips lightly tapping the surface. The crisp sound fell slowly to the ground, each tap seeming to strike the heartstrings.

His gaze swept indifferently over the two men's fearful, bowed heads, but he didn't pursue the matter. He simply raised his hand, calmly picked up a scroll from the table, and casually handed it over.

"The list contains the names of officials who are about to fall from grace. Give it to the Duke of Ying so that he can prepare in advance."

The official at the front quickly stepped forward, bowed deeply, and respectfully accepted the list. Slightly relieved, he quickly replied, "Thank you, sir!"

Before the two could straighten up, Zong Xian's deep voice rang out again: "The heir of the Rongguo Duke's mansion is one of our own. If the Yingguo Duke wants to take this opportunity to settle a personal score, I can ignore it, but please do not touch Lin Han."

Everyone in the court knew that the Duke of Rong and the Duke of Ying had a deep-seated personal grudge from their early years, with the Duke harboring resentment over the loss of his wife.

However, the Duke of Rongguo was backed by Wei Zhao and held great power. The Duke of Yingguo was wary of his power and could only bury his hatred deep inside and endure it without showing it.

But now that the Duke of Rongguo has been stripped of his title and power, he has become a pawn abandoned by Wei Zhao. With the current turmoil in the court, the Duke of Yingguo will surely take the opportunity to kick him while he's down and settle old scores.

A look of surprise flashed across the eyes of both officials, and they quickly agreed.

"In that case, I shall take my leave."

After the outsiders left, only Zong Xian, Ji Mingyi, and Xie Huaiyu remained in the room.

Xie Huaiyu secretly took a deep breath, then took out a red invitation from his sleeve and stepped forward.

"Second Uncle, my wedding date with Yun Wan is set for the seventh day of next month."

The moment the words left his mouth, Mingyi suddenly looked up.

Xie Huaiyu clearly sensed the girl's astonished gaze and refrained from looking at her.

He had no other choice. Only by marrying Li Yunwan could Zong Xian be at ease.

Zong Xian raised an eyebrow and casually flipped open the invitation so that Ji Mingyi behind him could also see it clearly.

The bride's name is indeed Li Yunwan.

He closed the invitation and placed it on the side of the table, then looked at Xie Huaiyu with a scrutinizing gaze: "Li Yunwan is the daughter of a disgraced official. Marrying her will not benefit your career at all."

How could Zong Xian not see what Xie Huaiyu's intention was in marrying Li Yunwan?

But he deliberately avoided pointing it out, maintaining the demeanor of an elder, refined yet hypocritical:

"I had a close relationship with your father. He passed away early due to illness and was unable to plan for your important life events. As your uncle, I should take on this responsibility for him and find you a wife from a respectable family who is a good match for you, so as to help you in your career."

These gentle and considerate words sounded utterly absurd and ironic to Xie Huaiyu.

The only person he ever wanted to marry was Ji Mingyi.

But his perfect life was ruined when the person in front of him stole his love.

He took his wife for himself and then hypocritically claimed he would find him a better match and compensate him in his career...

Xie Huaiyu lowered his eyes heavily, concealing the turbulent emotions within them, and spoke the prepared statement, "I appreciate your kindness, Uncle."

"Although Yun Wan is the daughter of a disgraced official, as the saying goes, one should not bring misfortune upon one's wife and daughter. Li Dan's corruption was his own doing, and it had nothing to do with her, a young woman. Furthermore, I am already engaged to her. If her family were to fall into misfortune, be convicted, or lose power, and I were to abandon her to seek personal gain and avoid harm, I would certainly be criticized by others."

Xie Huaiyu's explanation was both reasonable and logical, and there was nothing wrong with it.

Zong Xian said calmly, "Since you've made up your mind, then so be it."

Xie Huaiyu said, "Now that the invitation has been sent, I will take my leave."

Zong Xian's eyes held an unreadable expression, but his face remained gentle and considerate. "You must be tired from your journey. It's getting late. Why don't you stay at my residence?"

"Yes."

Xie Huaiyu did not refuse and turned to leave decisively.

Mingyi couldn't help but stare blankly in the direction the man had left.

It wasn't until she realized that Zong Xian's gaze had fallen on her that she hurriedly composed herself.

Zong Xian sneered inwardly, but didn't seize the opportunity to lash out at her. He looked away, picked up a pastry, put it in his mouth, and said calmly:

"What are you doing here?"

He had been waiting for her for a long time.

Mingyi snapped out of her reverie, looked at the stern and aloof man, and said softly, "These are pastries I made myself. What do you think of them, Second Master?"

"Not good."

Zong Xian spoke very softly and coldly, taking a bite and then placing it on the plate.

Mingyi was at a loss for what to do, thinking that he might be in a bad mood, so she decided to come back tomorrow.

"Since Second Master doesn't like it, I'll take it away."

Just as he was about to lean forward to take the plate, he heard Zong Xian say, "You don't come here without a reason. Tell me, what do you want from me?"

Mingyi paused and looked at him.

Since he asked, she decided to be direct.

"I do have a request."

Mingyi pleaded earnestly, "I'm so bored being confined to this mansion every day. Second Master, could you please let me go out for a walk? Don't worry, I just want to get some fresh air; I have no other intentions!"

So, they wanted to go out.

As Ji Mingyi finished speaking, a faint glimmer of hope lingered in his eyes.

Zong Xian stretched out his long arm and gently pulled her into his embrace, holding her firmly in front of him. The man's wide robes, carrying a cool and aloof aura, completely enveloped her.

His fingers slowly traced the fabric of her clothes, the movements languid yet intensely aggressive.

"But you are so strikingly beautiful that every time you step out of the Prime Minister's residence, men outside will stare at you, and some might even have improper thoughts about you..."

A shadow fell over the man's eyes. "Do you know how those two officials were staring at you, coveting you? I wanted to gouge their eyes out on the spot."