"Are you sure it doesn't matter?" Yu Xinyi asked with a half-smile.
"Those were all foods prepared by Xie Xinxiu. It's hot and humid, so it's normal to have occasional cravings. Your Highness wouldn't think I did something to sabotage it beforehand, would you?" Liu Lanyan said with a smile that didn't change her expression.
“That’s why I’m puzzled. It’s not poisoning, it’s not caused by demonic power…” Yu Xinyi looked at Liu Lanyan thoughtfully. “Miss Lanyan is becoming more and more unfathomable to me.”
"If you can't see through it, then don't look at it. Looking too much is not good," Liu Lanyan said with a light smile, not intending to give Yu Xinyi a clear answer at all.
Yu Xinyi's interest in Liu Lanyan grew stronger, because the more he interacted with her, the more secrets he discovered about her, which made him unable to resist digging deeper.
“Yes, some people will only become more confused even if they see too much,” Yu Xinyi added with a smile.
Did those scions of noble families think that the more food Xie Xinxiu ate in the Prince's mansion, the better their relationship with her would be?
I'm sure most people think this way: whoever has the worst vomiting and diarrhea is the one closest to Hsieh Hsin-hsiu.
Little did they know that their thoughts would be exploited by Liu Lanyan.
Those who suffer from severe vomiting and diarrhea are probably not only not uncomfortable, but also happy, as they can now curry favor with the prince. As for those who don't suffer from severe vomiting and diarrhea, they are likely still regretting why their condition isn't as bad.
What a clever Liu Lanyan! What a meticulous mind she has. She's the perfect example of someone who harms others, yet those others are still grateful to her.
What a dangerous woman, but... he likes her!
A casual glance revealed a basket full of withered branches beside him, and he raised an eyebrow in surprise: "Are there really this many withered branches in the summer?"
This basket of dead branches is too unusual. Although there are dead trees in the forest, isn't it a bit too much of a coincidence that there are such dead branches?
"Next time, I'll chop wood with you, Miss. Otherwise, the area we cover will be too large and attract attention." Yu Xinyi thought that Liu Lanyan had used some special method to quickly collect the wood from other places.
"Okay, that'll save me from being bored all by myself." To Yu Xinyi's surprise, Liu Lanyan agreed immediately. The astonished Yu Xinyi naturally had no idea of Liu Lanyan's purpose.
Having agreed to Yu Xinyi's request, Liu Lanyan looked at the basket full of withered branches and silently raised the corners of her lips. She also wanted to know where all these withered branches came from.
!
Chapter Twelve: Trivial Matters
The next day, Qin Xiu was again transferred to help with the purchasing at the Prince's mansion because of a "shortage" of manpower, while Liu Lanyan carried a large bamboo basket up the mountain by herself.
This day was just like any other, nothing different, except that there was one more person waiting on the mountain.
"Your Highness is here very early." Liu Lanyan casually placed the bamboo basket aside and looked at Yu Xinyi, who was dressed neatly. She really didn't expect him to keep his word and actually come to help her gather firewood.
"I made an appointment with Sister Lanyan, how could I break my promise?" Yu Xinyi smiled, picked up the bamboo basket, and went to chop firewood. Such a familiar and natural action made Liu Lanyan raise her eyebrows slightly. What exactly is Yu Xinyi up to?
A fleeting doubt crossed her mind, but Liu Lanyan suppressed it deep inside.
What bothered her most was why there were always dead branches here every day.
Don't tell her that the tree spirits here are fighting amongst themselves and that some trees are suffering.
"Lord..." An Yi knelt down in front of his master for no reason. Why did his master suddenly call him out? Could it be something important?
"How did things go?" The man asked casually, still half-reclining on the soft couch, without even lifting his eyelids.
He spoke casually, but to An Yi, it made his heart tighten. He desperately thought about the things the Lord had recently instructed him to do and reported them one by one.
"The insectoids that were causing trouble on the novel website have been brought under control. Thirty thousand insectoids with demonic power have been killed, their chieftain has been killed, and it has been confirmed that they dare not cause trouble again."
"Within the Huan River, the water demons have already submitted."
"The northern frontier..."
If anyone were to hear what An Yi said here, they would surely turn pale with fright, because these were all major issues that were causing the Demon Lord a great deal of trouble and threatening the safety of the Demon Realm.
According to An Yi, all these hidden dangers have been eliminated.
Even the Demon Lord, if he were to accomplish these things with his entire demon army, would suffer excessive losses, let alone so many. Even if he were to do just one or two, his army would be severely depleted.
Calming one or two incidents is already the limit; it's a Pyrrhic victory. As for other hidden dangers, the Demon Lord probably doesn't have the ability to deal with them.
Peng Zhen happened to come in and overheard these things. He looked very serious and listened attentively. Could there be some flaw in these matters?
An Yi was about to continue speaking when the man reclining on the soft couch waved his hand impatiently: "Why bother talking about such trivial matters?"
An Yi nearly choked on his own saliva halfway through his sentence.
Any one of these things could cause chaos in the demon realm, but in the Lord's mouth, it's just a trivial matter?
Upon hearing this, Peng Zhen felt a chill run down his spine. Could it be that something big was about to happen?
Both of them looked over anxiously, hoping that the Lord, whose temper was always unpredictable, could give them a clear hint.
The man, half-reclining on the soft couch, tilted his head and kept his eyes closed, feigning sleep, and slowly asked, "Is there enough firewood?"
ah?
An Yi and Peng Zhen both opened their mouths wide in shock, their jaws nearly dropping to the ground.
Completely disregarding the impact of his words on others, the man continued, "If it's a small amount, she won't be able to go back until the afternoon. Wouldn't that be very sunny?"
Peng Zhen couldn't help but roll his eyes at the roof and sit down without saying a word.
This left even the eloquent and articulate man speechless.
It must be said that his lord is truly remarkable.
An Yi was stunned for a moment, then stammered, "There is definitely enough firewood, not to mention there is a strong man helping out, so we will definitely not go in the afternoon when the sun is at its strongest."
"A man?" The man who had been lying on the soft couch with his eyes closed suddenly opened them, his thoughtful gaze sweeping over An Yi.
Just that one glance sent a chill down An Yi's spine, as if a sharp ice blade had grazed his body, making him shudder.
"Yes, that man is..." Before An Yi could finish speaking, a white light suddenly appeared before his eyes.
The man had already stood up and sat upright. His wide white sleeves swung in the air, creating a faint white light that seemed ethereal.
But at this moment, the man's expression was completely unrelated to his casual actions. He suddenly pressed his right hand down into the void in front of him, and the void, which was clearly empty, began to ripple like water, spreading out in delicate circles.
An Yi was startled; this power was not...
"Your Majesty, no! Your health..." Peng Zhen cried out as he stood up and took two quick steps forward, trying to stop him, but he was too late.
A clear scene had emerged in the void: in a lush forest, a woman sat on a large rock, enjoying freshly picked berries, while a man beside her vigorously chopped firewood, occasionally turning back to speak to the woman, which made her smile slightly.
What a beautiful and blissful scene this is.
only……
An Yi secretly glanced at the man who was smiling unusually gently; it seemed that their lord was not in a good mood.
"Yu Xinyi...that prince, right?" The man spoke slowly, his voice as gentle as a spring breeze in March. But when An Yi heard it, it made the hairs on his body stand on end, and he felt a chill run down his spine. His back was almost soaked with cold sweat.
"Yes," An Yi replied, forcing a smile.
What is Your Excellency trying to do?
"Very good, very good." The gentle words were repeated twice, causing An Yi and Peng Zhen's hearts to clench with each word. What was the Lord about to do?
The man's gentle gaze was fixed on the scene in mid-air. He chuckled softly as he looked closely, as if he were appraising a most precious treasure. He looked so intently that Peng Zhen felt a chill run down his spine.
I don't understand what their lord meant by those two sentences.
"This prince seems to really enjoy helping people," the man said with a gentle smile, gazing at the two people chatting and laughing in the mirror image.
An Yi was speechless. How was he supposed to respond to that?
I had no choice but to remain silent.
"Hasn't the Demon Lord prepared an apology yet?" The man's sudden change of topic startled An Yi. Realizing what was happening, she quickly replied, "It seems it's ready. We're just waiting for the Lord to have some free time so they can come over..."
Before An Yi could finish speaking, he was gently interrupted: "It's been a long time since I've gone out. Why don't you go and take a look at the Demon Lord's palace?"
ah?
An Yi looked up in surprise. "Your Excellency is going to the Royal Palace?"
Before An Yi could even understand the Venerable Lord's thoughts, the gentle man raised his hand and lightly patted the void. The clear image immediately shattered into millions of pieces, scattering in the air.
He wondered if it was just his imagination, but he felt that the mirror image where Yu Xinyi was located was shattering more and more completely.
!
Chapter Thirteen: The Mysterious Invitation
"Lanyan, be careful." Yu Xinyi escorted Liu Lanyan to a small alley near the Liu residence, then bid farewell and turned to leave.
As soon as Liu Lanyan entered the small gate carrying a full bamboo basket, she was immediately pulled back to her room.
"Aunt Qin, what's going on?" Liu Lanyan blinked and asked, puzzled.
"Miss, how come you're getting so close to His Highness?" Qin Xiu asked nervously, putting the bamboo basket aside.
“He’s been helping me chop firewood these past few days.” Liu Lanyan didn’t see anything wrong with it and chuckled as she shook Qin Xiu’s arm. “Aunt Qin, he’s been helping me, which has saved me a lot of time.”
"Oh dear, my lady," Qin Xiu said, looking at her young mistress with a headache. "Don't you know you're engaged to the Prince? If you get too close to His Highness now, it could damage your reputation, and then..."
"I'm afraid so?" Liu Lanyan blinked in confusion, looking at Qin Xiu with a puzzled expression. After thinking for a long time, she finally said something that Qin Xiu could understand, "Aunt Qin, I'm hungry."
One sentence from him left Qin Xiu completely speechless.
How was she supposed to explain such a complicated issue to her mistress?
"Okay, let's eat first." Qin Xiu said this, but she had already given up on explaining these issues to Liu Lanyan. It wasn't that she didn't want to talk about them, but that she simply couldn't explain them clearly.
It seems necessary to mention Miss's matter to Yu Jinshuo, but given her status, it might not be easy for her to see the Prince.
Qin Xiu watched Liu Lanyan eating with great relish, pondering the matter. Finally, she gritted her teeth and made up her mind. No matter what, she had to find a way out for her young lady.