Who said the eldest daughter is crazy? She's clearly a woman of high rank and influence in the

Xi Yueli was still standing at the top of the stairs. Her tears had stopped, but the sorrow on her face was still there. She turned around and went back upstairs. When she pushed open the door, she found someone squatting by the door.

Deng Yanzhi sat on the floor of the corridor outside her room, leaning against the wall. The hem of her blue robe was covered with a layer of dust as she carefully held a bowl of porridge.

He heard footsteps and looked up, his eyes red-rimmed, his voice hoarse like sandpaper: "...I heard a noise. You haven't had breakfast yet. I bought some porridge at the alley entrance, it's still warm."

Xi Yueli looked down at the porcelain bowl in his hand. A thin layer of steam rose with a wisp of white light. She stood there for a couple of breaths, then stepped aside to let him pass through the doorway.

"Come in."

When Deng Yanzhi stood up with the bowl in his hand, his knees were a little stiff. He followed behind into the house, put the bowl of porridge on the table, and then stepped back to stand by the door, as if waiting for permission, or as if he was afraid that staying any longer would break some rule.

Xi Yueli sat down at the table, picked up the bowl of porridge and slowly took a sip. The porridge was warm and had a faint sweetness, as if dates had been added.

A short while later, she put the bowl of porridge back on the table, wiped her mouth with a handkerchief, looked up at him, and said, "Sit down and talk. It's hard for me to speak when you're standing so far away."

As if he had received some kind of permission, Deng Yanzhi took two steps forward and sat down on the low stool opposite her, his posture as reserved as if he were meeting someone he dared not offend.

"Is the porridge... alright?" he asked.

"It's sweet now that I added dates." Xi Yueli folded the handkerchief and placed it on the corner of the table, gently pressing her fingertips against the surface of the handkerchief.

"That masked guy... who is he to you?" He asked without looking at her.

Xi Yueli leaned back in her chair, not avoiding the question, and answered frankly: "I have secretly pledged my life to him."

Deng Yanzhi's fingers tightened around the rim of the bowl, and he remained silent for a long time. "...Is he good to you?"

"He took a knife for me and saved my life in the icy river," Xi Yueli said casually. "He's much better than some people who read out their annulment papers in public."

Deng Yanzhi's face paled for a moment. He lowered his eyes, looking weary as if he had been repeatedly crushed: "I know you hate me. Those words... were not my intention."

He looked up at her, the light in his eyes flickering slightly in the morning light. "But my sister is still in the Empress's hands. I can only send a message once a month, and there is never a reply. I don't know if she is still alive."

Xi Yueli's voice was slightly lower than before: "The Empress only asked you to annul the engagement with the Xi family, what else does she want you to do?"

Deng Yanzhi's fingers paused for a moment. He looked up at her and remained silent for a long time, as if deciding how much to say.

"Keep an eye on you, and report everything to the Queen."

"After the fire, the Queen thought you were dead, so she stopped looking for me." He paused, his gaze lingering on her face for a moment. "Later, I started looking for you. I didn't know what else I could do but look for you."

Xi Yueli nodded. The cold winter wind blew in and blew on her face, ruffling a few strands of hair on her forehead.

"You don't owe me anything, and I've already let those things go."

Deng Yanzhi stood up. "I know you don't believe me, but that's okay. I just want to be by your side and run errands for you."

After saying this, he stepped across the threshold, gently closed the door, and his footsteps gradually faded away down the corridor.

That night, Deng Yanzhi sat on the stone steps of the back alley, hugging his knees, for a long time.

Before going to bed, Xi Yueli asked someone to hand him an old cotton quilt. Deng Yanzhi reached out and pulled it over his knees, without looking up at the stairs again.

After midnight, the window of the east wing on the second floor of the inn was silently opened from the outside.

Helian Jing climbed through the window and entered. He had changed into a set of black clothes for nighttime travel, and replaced the black iron mask with a narrower cloth mask, leaving only his eyes exposed.

Xi Yueli was not asleep. She leaned against the back of the couch, holding the candy stick that had been bitten to a bare end in her hand. Her fingertips were slowly rubbing the last bit of amber-colored sugar stain on the tip of the bamboo stick. When she heard the sound of the window, she simply slid the candy stick half an inch into her sleeve.

"Does the wedding dress from the He family fit?" Her voice was slightly hoarse, as if she were half asleep.

Helian Jing knelt down by the edge of the bed, reached out to feel her forehead to check her temperature, and only after confirming that she hadn't developed a fever from falling into the water last night did he withdraw his hand, tilting his chin slightly towards the window: "How long has the one downstairs been keeping watch?"

"It's been a whole night, and you're still here."

Helian Jing's eyebrows twitched. He looked down at her and said in a low voice, "You sent the blanket? I thought you were ignoring him."

Xi Yueli pulled the candy stick out of her sleeve again, twirled it between her fingers, and said, "It's just a quilt."

Helian Jing reached out and snatched the candy stick from her fingertips, tucking it into his sleeve. Then he reached out and grabbed the back of her head, pulling her half an inch towards his shoulder.

His lips brushed against the top of her head, his voice coming down from above her head, "He Qingshuang's steward's wife is a former subordinate of Yinsuo. At the wedding banquet in three days, Yinsuo will enter the He residence as a secret guest. At that time, he will be in the open, and I will be in the shadows, able to keep him under control."

Xi Yueli nestled against his shoulder for a moment, her voice muffled as she asked, "So you really want to get married in three days?"

"Miss He invited you to the ceremony." Helian Jing glanced down at her, his eyes crinkling slightly in the shadows.

Xi Yueli lifted her head from his shoulder, her gaze meeting his in the shadows: "Aren't you afraid I'll steal the bride?"

A smile curved his lips. "I was afraid you wouldn't come."

Xi Yueli finally smiled slightly, and patted his waist. "Come back after you've finished investigating the Silver Shuttle. Give me back the candy stick."

"If you don't return it, I'll keep it." He stood up and walked to the window. Before climbing out, he glanced at her. His eyes, hidden behind the black cloth, shone like two cold stars tempered by the night.

"You're not allowed to talk to that guy downstairs anymore, not even to try and find out anything from him."

The window closed silently, and the dark figure disappeared into the night.

Xi Yueli leaned back against the couch, and faintly heard the rustling of the quilt being blown by the wind from downstairs outside the window. She closed her eyes.

As dawn broke, the cotton quilt was neatly folded and placed on the stone steps of the back alley. The person had already left. Next to it was a package of osmanthus cake wrapped in oil paper, with a note on top that read only one word: "Good morning".

The news of the grand wedding at the He family mansion spread early the next morning, and the storyteller in the teahouse told it with great enthusiasm.

"Miss He stole someone else's husband, and they are to get married in three days. The betrothal gifts have already been brought into the mansion, and red silk has been hung all over the three courtyards. The young master Lian, who was stolen, did not say a word of reluctance. It is said that he even smiled slightly when he tried on the wedding clothes."

Xi Yueli leaned against the window facing the street, listening to the gossip, a slight smile on her lips. Suddenly, she heard footsteps at the door, so she quickly moved to the table, placed one hand on the edge of the table, and raised the other hand to cover her mouth and nose, pretending to sob.

Deng Yanzhi stood outside the door and heard the suppressed, faint sounds inside through the door panel. He immediately raised his hand and gently knocked on the door three times.

The sounds inside suddenly stopped, and the usually clear voice was tinged with a thin layer of dampness, the last syllable slightly hoarse: "...Come in."