Si Yue stood in front of the house. It was raining, and she stretched her hand out of the eaves.

Touching the cool, icy rain, his palms were wet.

Her gaze was empty, and she didn't know what she was thinking.

When Yan Yi came in from outside, she suddenly turned her head and saw the man's figure approaching through the mist. He was holding a twenty-four bone oil paper umbrella, and the surface of the umbrella was enshrouded by mountains and rivers.

He turned to the side and put away the umbrella, causing the ball of ink on the surface of the umbrella to completely close.

He held the umbrella and swung it a few times, then placed the umbrella by the door.

She looked at the wet patch on his shoulder, which was like a large cluster of flowers blooming.

Then her gaze fell on his face. In the next moment, she saw his sharp eyebrows suddenly tighten, and his long, narrow phoenix eyes looked at her with some dissatisfaction.

"It's raining, so why aren't you staying in the house?" He quickly walked over to her, took out a plain handkerchief, and carefully wiped her wet hand clean. He pursed his lips when he felt her cold hand.

Si Yue's heart skipped a beat. She was actually frightened by his series of actions, and some subtle thoughts appeared in her mind.

While she was letting her imagination run wild, he found a hand warmer from somewhere and stuffed it into her hand. It was warm and cozy, and she couldn't help but let out a breath of comfort.

Seeing his gloomy expression, she smiled and said, "Yan Yi, you're making a fuss over nothing. It's just a light rain."

"You said the same thing last time, and then you had a high fever that night." He looked at her mockingly, making it clear that he didn't believe her.

She rubbed her nose, knowing that she was in the wrong, and quietly muttered a few words.

Since Yan Yi was here, it wasn't good for her to continue standing outside and staring at him. She could only lead him into the house.

Perhaps it was because the room was isolated from the cold air outside, causing her body to regain some warmth. Her originally pale and bloodless face finally blushed a little, and her cold and bright face had a hint of warmth and tenderness.

He couldn't help but stare blankly.

Noticing that he was staring at her for a long time, she raised her hand to touch her face in confusion. "What's wrong?

Is there something on my face? "

Yan Yi looked away in a panic and said, "Well, your eyes aren't clean. Don't tell me you didn't wash up this morning." He seemed to calm down quickly and calmly teased her.

"…" Sorry for the disrespect.

"It doesn't matter. After all, you and I are not strangers," he said warmly. "I've always been the most considerate."

The two of them chatted back and forth for a while, and it was quite interesting.

Suddenly, the sound of hurried footsteps came from outside the room. She looked up and saw that it was a manservant who looked somewhat unfamiliar.

He looked into the room and seemed to confirm something. Then, he walked straight to Yan Yi's side and leaned down to whisper a few words in Yan Yi's ear.

The smile on Yan Yi's face froze for a moment. She waved her hand and motioned for the man to leave.

He looked displeased, as if the manservant's words had disturbed his mood.

He didn't speak for a long time, but she wasn't in a hurry. Seeing that his teacup was empty, she raised her hand to pick up the teapot and poured him a new cup of tea.

Yan Yi's slender fingers with distinct joints placed on the porcelain lid and gently pushed aside the floating emerald green tea leaves. Without the cover, the steam rose in spirals. Separated by clouds of mist, the expression on his face became blurred.

"I'm leaving." After a long time, he spoke.

***

Si Yue recalled the expression on Yan Yi's face when he looked at her when he left, and an indescribable feeling arose in her heart.

She had already anticipated that he would leave today. She had even intentionally sent out a message to have people find him here.

In her previous life, Xiao Shijing had carried the title of a rebel. It wasn't that no one had suspected him, but the soldiers under his command didn't believe the rumors. But what use was it if they believed him? The people of the world didn't believe him, and the person on the dragon throne was jealous of him. In the end, their words didn't carry much weight. In addition, this group of people had also been branded as rebels. Their own lives were in danger, so how could they talk about exonerating him?

In the end, no matter how much they tried to defend themselves, Xiao Shijing was easily sentenced to death. He was beheaded in public.

At the time, as Xiao Shijing's close friend, Yan Yi, was sightseeing and didn't know about this matter. It wasn't until news of Xiao Shijing's rebellion spread in the capital that he hurriedly rushed back to the capital.

But by that time, it was all too late.

If Yan Yi had been present at the time, with his scheming, Xiao Shijing's case wouldn't have been decided so decisively.

In this life, she didn't have any power to rely on. If she wanted to fulfill Pei Ruan's wish, she had to rely on someone else.

And this person, she felt that there was no one more suitable than Yan Yi.

He respected and was close to Xiao Shijing. In addition, he had the support of Marquis Yan's faction behind him. It should be enough to wash away the stain on him.

She thought to herself.

But …

She took a sip of tea. The tea was already a bit cold, but she didn't care.

Her dark eyelashes drooped as she fell into a reverie.

Si Yue had never thought that he would have such thoughts.

The youth's sharp and beautiful eyes fixed on her. He carefully hid all the clues, but in the end, he revealed a bit of affection. It seemed unintentional, but it also seemed like he was deliberately testing her.

It was rare for someone who had always been straightforward and disdained to hide his feelings, to learn to play tricks for a person.

It was a pity that she wouldn't get any results.

She sighed in her heart.

She only hoped that when he came back here … he wouldn't be sad …

***

The two armies of the Cheng Country and the Ethnic North were in a deadlock around Lianwei City. When the officials in the capital heard the news, they were dissatisfied.

They ridiculed the Anxi General for being so arrogant, but he didn't do anything. He didn't live up to his reputation.

"This Xiao Shijing is really too young. Just because he won a few battles, he doesn't know the immensity of heaven and earth and wants to fight for power in the North. He really thinks he's something great."

A general laughed. He didn't hide his voice at all. He had always despised Xiao Shijing. Now that he saw Xiao Shijing's momentum falling, he couldn't wait to take it and ruthlessly step on it.

Some people didn't deny this. Victory and defeat were common in war. At this time, they were evenly matched. How could they jump to conclusions without knowing what would happen in the future?

But the situation in front of them really disappointed them. They had thought that they would be able to defeat the barbarians in the North and then happily scram back to their homes, just like many years ago. But now, they were stuck in a long battle. This wasn't what they wanted to see.

The Emperor looked down on the various performances of the officials from above, his face indifferent.

At this moment, Li Xiaoquan hurriedly walked to the Emperor's side and bowed as he handed over a letter.

The people below noticed this scene and couldn't help but pay attention to the movements above. Their voices subconsciously became softer.

They all wanted to know what was written in the letter.

But after the Emperor read the letter, he threw it to the ground in disbelief. Suddenly, he showed a look of anger. "Audacious!

Simply … "the Emperor said angrily.

"Your Majesty, please calm down. Don't let anger affect your health."

Li Xiaoquan seemed to be frightened by the Emperor's anger. He suddenly knelt to the side, trembling. But his mouth had already condemned the person in the letter.

The officials all trembled and knelt to the ground. They didn't have time to think about who had provoked the Emperor's monstrous anger. They only hoped that they wouldn't be affected.

…

After the court, the officials all understood what was written in the letter. It was the evidence of Xiao Shijing's subordinate, Song Tao, reporting Xiao Shijing's secret contact with the Ethnic North with the intention of treason.

It was full of letters between Xiao Shijing and the Ethnic North Second Prince. Xiao Shijing revealed to the Ethnic North all the arrangements south of the Jinghe River. He also talked to the Ethnic North Second Prince about his dissatisfaction with the suppression of the imperial court. Perhaps he thought that no one would notice, so he didn't hide anything in his words. The letter was full of wild ambition, which made people feel cold.

It was also because the words in the letter were too wild and insolent that the Emperor angrily threw the letter to the ground after reading it.

"How dare he!

He's simply out of control! "

He couldn't wait to immediately send people to arrest this traitor and bring him to him to be beheaded to vent his anger.

But as the Emperor, he still had his reason. He still handed it over to the Minister of Justice to investigate.

"Your Majesty, Her Highness the Princess requests an audience."

Li Xiaoquan stood beside the Emperor. The little eunuch below him sent him the news. He was surprised that the Princess Jiaping came so quickly. She was really infatuated with Xiao Shijing. He secretly sneered.

"Jiaping?

What is she doing here? "The Emperor was angry and was not in the mood to see her." Humph!

It must be for Xiao Shijing again. "He took out his anger on Jiaping because of what Xiao Shijing had done secretly.

"Stop her. I don't want to see her right now." He gave a strict order.

"Your Highness the Princess, His Majesty said that he doesn't want to see you." The little eunuch looked at the beautiful woman in front of him.

"How is that possible? Didn't you tell Father Emperor that it was me?"

Jiaping frowned with displeasure. She clearly didn't believe his words. She just thought that the servant didn't convey the message clearly.

Her delicate face was shockingly beautiful, but it was also cold and noble. Her eyes were cold like frost and snow. Although she was beautiful, no one dared to look at her.

At this time, she was coldly staring at him, causing him to break out in a cold sweat.

The little eunuch knew that she was the Emperor's most beloved princess, so he didn't dare treat her lightly. He was afraid that she would hold a grudge against him for today's disrespect. But because of the Emperor's order, he had to stop her.

Right now, he only felt that his life was full of obstacles and difficulties.

He only hated himself for making this trip and causing himself to fall into such a situation where he could not be considered a human being.

For a small person like him, no matter which side he offended, he would suffer. If he wasn't careful, he would lose his life.

It was too late to regret.