The Dark Moonlight returns to the capital, and the mad prince is accused of forcing love.

Before leaving the mansion, Xu Qianhui returned to Ci'an Hall to change her clothes, while Chu Yunci went to have someone bring out her horse.

Lin Zuoqing stood under the weeping crabapple tree with a stack of silver notes in his hand.

Xu Qianhui took the silver note from his hand and went straight into the room, whereupon he followed.

close the door.

"Why won't you answer my question?"

Xu Qianhui picked out a pale yellow dress from the wardrobe, embroidered with lotus blossoms, and tied with an orange-yellow silk sash at the waist, looking refreshing and pretty.

She chose this outfit because it was for Chu Yunci.

Unexpectedly, Lin Zuoqing said, "When Zhiwei first met you, she was wearing this color."

Did he think he wanted to compete against Lin Zhiwei?

Xu Qianhui smiled and took off her clothes: "I look better in this than she does."

She was telling the truth.

Lin Zhiwei was born into the Marquis of Wu'an's family. Her appearance was bold and striking. Wearing bright colors would make her even more radiant and beautiful.

But she prefers light colors and has a gentle, soft style.

It looks somewhat out of place.

Xu Qianhui was different.

Born and raised in Jiangnan, she possesses the gentle and graceful beauty unique to women from Jiangnan, making her perfectly suited to this warm and pure atmosphere.

In front of Lin Zuoqing, she took off all but her undergarments and put on her new clothes.

Then, she straightened her skirt and looked at Lin Zuoqing.

"We already dislike each other, so you don't need to test me any further. I don't want to get involved in your marriage, so please don't interfere with my good time with the young general, okay?"

After saying that, she reached out to open the door.

Lin Zuoqing was already standing by the door. As soon as the door opened, he kicked it shut again.

Xu Qianhui turned her head to look at him, and met his gaze.

"Xu Qianhui, say it again."

"We all know you won't marry me."

Xu Qianhui sighed.

"If that's the case, I should plan for the rest of my life. I can't just waste my life like this, can I? Besides, I don't want to keep dwelling on the past."

"If you give me to the young general and we have a happy ending, the general's mansion will remember your kindness."

"Oh."

Lin Zuoqing gave a cold laugh.

Xu Qianhui thought he was going to say something sharp again, but unexpectedly, the next second, Lin Zuoqing's kiss landed heavily on her lips.

He kissed her while trying to ruffle her clothes.

This action completely changed Xu Qianhui's expression.

She allowed Lin Zuoqing to kiss her because he was really good at it.

She could also get along with him without any hassle, because he was really good at physical exertion.

However, she was about to leave with Chu Yunci.

She would never allow him to mess up the clothes she had dressed for Chu Yunci!

"Smack."

Xu Qianhui raised her hand and slapped Lin Zuoqing hard across the face, who was somewhat lost in his reverie.

"Do you know I'm going out?"

The slap was quite forceful; Lin Zuoqing's face was turned to the side by the blow, but he let out a low laugh.

He seemed to have enjoyed being beaten.

"This is the last time. If you do this again, I'll just give the General's Mansion a contract of servitude."

That's nonsense.

But Xu Qianhui had a very strong presence.

"If you don't believe me, you can try it and see if I dare."

After saying that, she pushed him away and bent down to straighten her clothes.

Lin Zuoqing suddenly pulled his foot back from the door. He looked at her, but there was no emotion in his eyes.

"You always lie to me about having children, don't you? What if I really wanted to give you a child?"

Xu Qianhui paused in her hand movements, then looked up with a fierce expression.

"You want me to lose another child? Lin Zuoqing, how come I never knew you were so vicious?"

She didn't look at Lin Zuoqing's face when she spoke.

After he opened the door and went out, he didn't follow.

He probably still thought that this was a tactic Xu Qianhui used to provoke him.

......

Outside the Duke's mansion, Chu Yunci had been waiting for a long time.

Seeing only one person and one horse outside the door, Xu Qianhui lifted her skirt and trotted to him.

"Young general, how did you know I wanted to ride a horse? You're amazing!"

Seeing her surprised expression, Chu Yunci pursed her lips, seemingly struggling with whether or not to tell the truth.

He had just asked the gatekeeper to prepare the carriage, but the gatekeeper asked who was going on the trip.

When Chu Yunci uttered the words "Miss Cousin," the gatekeeper immediately refused, saying that the number of carriages in the manor was fixed and that Miss Cousin had never used the manor's carriages before.

Xu Qianhui noticed Chu Yunci's predicament and said with a smile, "Wait a moment, I'll go to the manor and fetch another horse."

As she spoke, she turned to turn around.

Chu Yunci slightly raised his hand to stop her: "Zhuifeng has a fiery temper. You ride the horse, I'll help you hold the reins."

"How can that be?" Xu Qianhui feigned surprise. "What kind of general would give a mere woman like me to lead his horse? If passersby see this, we'll be laughed at."

Chu Yunci simply said, "It's alright, it'll be night soon if we delay any longer."

By this time, the sun had gradually sunk behind the mountains, but the clouds around it were dark and gloomy, and it was hard to tell if it was going to rain.

Seeing that Chu Yunci insisted, Xu Qianhui had no choice but to mount his horse.

"Young general, if you get tired, just tell me, and we'll take turns riding."

Chu Yunci smiled brightly and gave a soft "hmm".

Xu Qianhui looked down at Chu Yunci's profile.

He is truly a man with extremely stable emotions.

They won't test people, they won't go crazy, and they certainly won't reopen old wounds.

If it were him, he might indeed have another way out.

......

Zuixiangju, the premier restaurant in Beijing.

With upturned eaves and carved beams and painted rafters.

Even as night was approaching, the building was still bustling with noise, and the aroma of wine and meat wafted through the long street.

Zuixiangju is considered one of the top restaurants in the capital.

With its excellent location and delicious food, it is one of the most popular gathering places for dignitaries and nobles.

When Xu Qianhui and Chu Yunci arrived, Lin Zuoqing and Lin Zhiwei were already sitting on the second floor.

Lin Zuoqing remained expressionless, revealing neither joy nor anger, while Lin Zhiwei looked displeased.

She had been teased by Xu Qianhui several times; even when they didn't see each other, they would exchange a few words from time to time, let alone when they were having dinner together.

Xu Qianhui didn't feel embarrassed at all.

She sat down with Chu Yunci and, as if no one else was around, called over the waiter to order.

Having won a lot today, she didn't care about the price and ordered three seasonal dishes, four main courses, and two plates of desserts.

Lin Zhiwei said sourly, "Miss Xu certainly has a good appetite. Ordering so much, can you finish it all? If you can't, it's a waste of General Chu's money."

"We played mahjong today, and Lord Lin lost the most. So this meal is on me, using Lord Lin's money. Miss Lin, you should eat a lot later."

Lin Zhiwei's face stiffened.

Xu Qianhui shifted her gaze to Chu Yunci and teased, "Little General, you lost the least, so you know what to do, right?"

"Um."

Chu Yunci placed the cleaned package in front of Xu Qianhui, smiling broadly.

"Next time I lose more, you have to order ten dishes for me."

Xu Qianhui readily agreed: "No problem."

The two got along naturally, and their good looks made them a very pleasing couple.

Lin Zhiwei clenched her fists, not wanting to look at them, but Lin Zuoqing suddenly said something out of the blue.

"You guys go ahead in a bit."

None of the three knew who he was referring to.

Just as Lin Zhiwei was about to ask a question, a voice that sounded like it was teasing a puppy suddenly came from behind them.

"Tsk tsk tsk, isn't this Lord Lin? He actually has the leisure to go to a restaurant for a meal."

"Have you solved your case?"