Qinyue Pavilion is not far from Zhengyi Palace; it's just a few turns away.
"Okay, you lead the way."
Hai Ling nodded, a cold smile playing on her lips. She was eager to see who was behind this charade; she was very interested.
Yan Zhi, fearing that her mistress would suffer a loss, quickly pulled her back, stopping her from going to Qin Yue Pavilion. Hai Ling shook her head, indicating that nothing would happen. She told the eunuch and maid who had been following her to return to the palace first, while she herself, along with Yan Zhi, Xiao Ke, and Lian Yi, followed the little eunuch who had come to report earlier, all the way to Qin Yue Pavilion.
The Qinyue Pavilion is surrounded by many flowers and plants, and the air is filled with their fragrance.
The surroundings were completely quiet. When the young eunuch brought Hailing here, he respectfully said, "Your Majesty, the Left Prime Minister is in the pavilion. Please come in."
The Qinyue Pavilion was shrouded in light gauze, which swayed gently in the night breeze. However, a tall figure could be vaguely seen inside, standing with his hands behind his back in a corner of the pavilion, looking outside. He was clearly waiting for someone.
Hai Ling frowned involuntarily. Could it really be that Xi Lingfeng wanted to see her? That seemed unlikely. The Emperor had just summoned everyone to his study. Why was he here now? And what did he want to tell her? Although they met regularly, they always kept it a secret and didn't let others know. Even Rouge once didn't know, let alone sending a eunuch to deliver a message.
"Your Majesty, shall we go back?"
Hailin's personality is such that the more bizarre and unpredictable something is, the more she wants to figure it out, so she shook her head and said calmly, "I want to see who's up to this."
As he spoke, he walked without hesitation toward Qinyue Pavilion.
Rouge and Xiao Ke followed her closely all the way to the outside of Qinyue Pavilion.
Hai Ling smelled a familiar, delicate fragrance in the air, the very scent unique to Xi Lingfeng. Could the person in the pavilion really be Xi Lingfeng? She couldn't help but wonder.
Suddenly, an arm reached out from the shadows, swift as lightning, and quickly covered Hai Ling's mouth, silencing her scream. Then, another arm reached out, pulled her into a fragrant embrace, and a deep, magnetic voice sounded in her ear.
"Don't move, just wait and see."
Hai Ling had intended to stomp down hard, but upon hearing this, she finally stopped. It turned out that the person who suddenly appeared was Xi Lingfeng. The reason she smelled the familiar fragrance was because he was nearby. So who was in the pavilion?
Before Hai Ling could speak, Xi Lingfeng had already picked her up and darted towards a large tree not far from Qin Yue Pavilion.
The tree was so lush that two people could hide inside it without being seen by anyone else.
However, Hailing remembered that Yanzhi, Xiao Ke, and the others were still outside: "Them?"
"It's alright, I've had someone hide them."
"What exactly is going on?"
Hai Ling hesitated and looked up at Xi Lingfeng. Then, she belatedly realized something horrifying: she was actually in Xi Lingfeng's arms, and Xi Lingfeng looked completely at ease, as if he didn't feel any discomfort at all. Could there be anything more horrifying than this?
"Xi Lingfeng, aren't you being a bit too presumptuous?"
More than just a little, Xi Lingfeng chuckled, though his face remained impassive. He seemed to have just realized something, then placed Hai Ling on a tree to the side, reminding her, "Sit tight, and don't fall."
"Okay, sure."
She certainly wouldn't fall off the tree; if she couldn't even handle one tree, how could she survive? The main point was that she was too shocked; Xi Lingfeng actually hugged her, and looked completely at ease with that.
But right now, it's not about thinking about handsome men; it's about who's trying to frame them.
"Who started this mess?"
"Sima Yuan."
When Xi Lingfeng mentioned this name, his eyes narrowed, a cold light flashing in his pupils. He never dreamed that things would turn out this way.
If Sima Yuan really is... really is... He didn't even want to think about it anymore. Did such a person deserve to be his father? He was definitely not his child. But how could his mother, a woman, have any connection with Sima Yuan?
Hai Ling, standing beside Xi Lingfeng, turned pale upon hearing the name Sima Yuan.
That old man is truly narrow-minded. How can a prime minister of a country be so petty? Because she once beat up his son, he is plotting revenge against her and even dragging Xi Lingfeng into it. That old bastard is really too despicable and shameless. If she hadn't been trying her best to hold back, she would have gone to find Sima Yuan immediately and taught him a good lesson.
"How is he planning to frame us?"
Hai Ling asked softly, but after a long while she didn't hear anyone speak, she looked up and saw Xi Lingfeng staring at her with a strange expression. His black eyes were as bright as gemstones, radiating a dazzling light, and the corners of his lips were slightly upturned.
"He had aphrodisiacs placed in the Qinyue Pavilion, so?"
He didn't say what he was going to say next, but the meaning was already very clear. He just wanted to get the two of them together and then frame them or something. Hai Ling instinctively opened her mouth and cursed.
"That despicable, damned guy, I really want to kick him three times."
She cursed under her breath, but a cold sweat broke out all over her body. If Xi Lingfeng hadn't pulled her aside, would she have been drugged with that aphrodisiac? Hai Ling looked terrified.
Xi Lingfeng squinted at her ever-changing appearance and felt that what happened tonight was not so terrible. At least he had seen another side of her and even hugged her once. The touch was quite nice. Although she was a little chubby, she was very soft and fluffy like a bun.
This feeling isn't bad. Xi Lingfeng's eyes crinkled, and the corners of his lips curved into a smile. He was extremely happy.
Hailin, who was busy being angry, had no idea what this man was thinking; otherwise, she probably would have cursed him as a pervert.
The two people in the tree each had their own thoughts, but neither of them made a sound.
Before long, the sound of orderly footsteps came from afar, hurried and powerful, heading straight for Qinyue Pavilion.
Hailin snapped out of her daze, focusing intently on the situation below, her mind racing with thoughts.
Who was that tall figure in Qinyue Pavilion just now? Looking up, there was no one there, but in the dim light, there seemed to be a figure moving slightly. The image looked rather strange. Hailing opened her eyes wide and looked hard. It seemed that someone was twisting like a snake, with two bodies pressed together and faint breathing sounds coming out. They were actually intertwined like mandarin ducks with their necks entwined.
Hailin was initially confused, but gradually she began to understand, her cheeks suddenly flushed, and she couldn't help but exclaim in surprise.
Xi Lingfeng, standing beside her, reached out his long, slender hand and covered her mouth, pressing himself close to her and whispering a reminder.
"Don't shout, or someone will find out." If they are found out, they will be in deep trouble and will have truly fallen into Sima Yuan's trap.
Hai Ling nodded quickly after hearing Xi Lingfeng's words, indicating that she would not shout anymore. However, Xi Lingfeng did not let go of her hand and still covered her mouth, with the two of them close together.