Chapter 4

Everything felt surreal.

No, Sang Yao wouldn’t even dare to dream that big. If it weren’t for the solid evidence in front of her, she would never have believed that Xie Yun harbored such fervent thoughts for her.

The booklet in her hand seemed like a hot potato. Sang Yao pinched the pages so tightly that her fingertips started to turn red. Her cheeks were burning, and her mind was almost blank.

Memories related to Xie Yun began to involuntarily flood her mind.

They didn’t meet often. Both from prestigious families, most of their interactions were at various palace banquets.

Xie Yun was someone who was hard to look away from. She would sometimes sit far away from him and secretly glance at him. But in such a crowded place, it was not surprising.

There were very few memories related to him, because Sang Yao and Xie Yun were two people who had no connection.

The gap between their families was an insurmountable barrier, and even though Sang Yao wasn’t interested in court politics, she had been influenced since childhood and knew the formidable reputation of the Xie family.

As the eldest son of the Xie family, Xie Yun had been in the limelight since he was young. Numerous famous teachers praised his talent and compared him to his ancestors. And Xie Yun himself lived up to his talent; he never indulged in worldly pleasures and was solely focused on his family.

He was always straightforward and decisive in his actions, achieving at the age of twenty what others might struggle to achieve at forty.

Although Sang Yao always said she didn’t like Xie Yun, she couldn’t help but admit that Xie Yun was indeed a prodigy.

A prodigy with a not-so-good temper, Sang Yao silently added in her heart.

She still remembered the first time she had a proper conversation with Xie Yun, many years ago.

She was still young at that time, her first time entering the palace to visit her sister. Due to some accident, she got lost in the palace and encountered several princesses and princes playing together. They warmly grabbed Sang Yao and asked her to play with them. On one hand, she didn’t dare to refuse, and on the other hand, she was curious, so she agreed.

But what they played was not something interesting, just throwing a pot.

The difference was that they had to tie the heavy copper pot to someone’s body and then let them walk slowly, so they could throw the arrows while moving.

Unfortunately, Sang Yao became the unlucky one who was tied up.

She was slender, and the copper pot was almost half her height. It was tied to her body, and she had to awkwardly walk along a line, clumsy and embarrassed.

She wanted to refuse, but all she faced were the royal family members, and she had no room to refuse.

Top of Form

She was extremely scared, walking slowly while crying, afraid she would end up like a little hedgehog.

It was at that moment that Xie Yun appeared. He already had an air of nobility, tall and elegant. He was just passing by when the group of noisy children suddenly quieted down.

At that time, Sang Yao had already cried until she looked like a small kitten, holding a copper pot as she looked at Xie Yun, her face covered in tears.

Xie Yun stopped beside her, glanced over the crowd, and then looked at her, saying, “Are you Sang Yao?”

Sang Yao nodded.

He said, “Your sister is looking for you. Come with me.”

Xie Yun saved her. Thanks to him, she wasn’t turned into a little hedgehog in the end.

Her impression of Xie Yun was very good at that time. Not only did she obediently follow him, but she also talked a lot to him, but he didn’t respond at all. She didn’t understand, so she finally asked, looking up:

“Brother, why aren’t you talking?”

The young man cast a cold glance at her and finally said, “Don’t talk, it’s annoying.”

Sang Yao pouted and was about to cry again.

She timidly grasped his sleeve and asked softly, “Brother, are you angry?”

He expressionlessly pulled his clothes away from her hand, saying, “Don’t touch me, your hands are dirty.”

…

Looking back, Sang Yao still felt that he was really annoying.

That was the longest time she had spent with Xie Yun. Afterwards, she hardly had any chance to talk to Xie Yun again, and he never looked at her more than once.

Now, after several years, Sang Yao felt that he probably didn’t even remember that he had helped her out that time.

In fact, this was also why she was convinced that this manual was written by Xie Yun, because only someone who could accurately record their conversation could have been him.

Having said that.

She never expected that, looking at the things written in this booklet, this guy not only remembered, but he had also been harboring bad intentions towards her since that time.

But she was still so young back then.

… This person looks so righteous, but inside, he’s such a beast.

Sang Yao squatted for a long time, still unable to recover from this huge discovery, so much so that she didn’t hear the bailiffs calling her for a long time.

She quickly hid the filthy thing in her sleeve, then came back to her senses and tried to calm down, saying, “Let’s finish this and go down.”

“Okay.”

It wasn’t a good idea to stay here any longer. She took a deep breath, then stepped forward and walked out with them.

By the time she went out, Sang Yin had already returned from the front hall of the council.

He was sitting there, frowning as he dealt with the cases from his subordinates.

Sang Yao had something on her mind, and absentmindedly said, “Dad, if there’s nothing else, I’ll leave first. Elder Sister is still waiting for me.”

Sang Yin glanced at her and said, “When you get there, ask your sister what’s been going on lately. She’s been in the palace for a few years now, she should have had children by now.”

Moreover, the current emperor on the throne might not live for many more years. If, in the future, Sang Shu didn’t have children, according to the rules, she would have to be buried with the emperor when he died. Even if not for the family, she had to plan for herself.

Sang Yao didn’t think about so much, she just wanted her elder sister to be safe in the palace. Whether or not she had children wasn’t important.

“Okay,” she replied.

Sang Yin waved his hand and instructed, “Take Randon with you. If you encounter those you can’t afford to provoke, remember to avoid them early.”

Sang Yao obediently said, “Okay.”

Because of her not-so-serious appearance, she had been teased by those who were full of dirty thoughts before. Some had stood up for her, while others she couldn’t afford to provoke, so she could only bear it herself.

“Alright, go on.”

Sang Yao then walked out. The Ministry of Justice was located west of the Imperial City. On her way to find her elder sister.

After the rain, the air outside was damp, and the vast sky was scattered with a few remaining dark clouds. The chilly wind gently blew, everything felt so real.

She thought again, this was not a dream.

Xie Yun really had a secret crush on her.

Yes, a crush.

Using this word to describe it was not an exaggeration at all. Xie Yun’s feelings for her could be described as fervent.

She secretly sighed, no wonder the heads of the noble families all praised Xie Yun. He clearly loved her so much, but he didn’t show it on his face. Can anyone who could hide such surging love in their heart for years without showing any traces be simple?

No! In fact, he was not without flaws.

It was like a beam of light breaking through the dark clouds, Sang Yao suddenly realized at this moment.

Hidden.