Xie Jin Yan didn't announce his arrival when he entered. His footsteps were light, and the three inside were chatting animatedly, not noticing the extra person in the room until Xie Jin Yan spoke. Only then did they suddenly snap back to reality.

Seeing Xie Jin Yan, Yu Qingwu's eyelashes trembled slightly, but she remained relatively calm. She glanced at him somewhat uneasily, seemingly intentionally reminding Yu Zhen and Ling'er, and quickly greeted him, "This concubine greets Your Highness."

"This humble commoner greets His Royal Highness the Crown Prince. May His Royal Highness live for ten thousand years, ten thousand years, ten thousand times ten thousand years!" Compared to Yu Qingwu, Yu Zhen appeared flustered. He knelt down with a thud and began shouting at Xie Jin Yan.

Seeing him kneel, Ling'er at his side quickly knelt beside him as well. Both of them lowered their heads, not daring to meet Xie Jin Yan's gaze at all.

Their fear and timidity were completely different from their boastful demeanor just moments ago.

Remembering the words he had just spoken, Yu Zhen felt both afraid and ashamed.

Especially the phrase "imperial relatives." Saying it in front of Qingwu, a cousin he had known since childhood, was nothing, but it sounded like he was throwing his weight around when it reached the ears of the person in charge.

Thinking of this, Yu Zhen's palms were already beginning to sweat.

Xie Jin Yan stood at the door, taking in all the changes on Yu Zhen's face.

A complex expression flashed in his eyes. Soon, his smile returned, and as he stepped forward to help Yu Qingwu, he gently said to them, "Please, rise."

With that, he leaned over and sat on the chair beside Yu Qingwu, glancing at the gauze on her forehead. He gently chided her, "Shijie, what's wrong with you? Didn't the imperial physician tell you to rest in bed? Why did you get up again?"

Xie Jin Yan's concern in front of Yu Zhen and Ling'er made Yu Qingwu feel a little too sentimental. Besides, Xie Jin Yan had overheard what she and Yu Zhen had said, so she seemed a little unnatural at the moment. She smiled slightly at Yu Zhen and Ling'er, and gently replied to Xie Jin Yan, "It's boring to lie in bed all day, and it's also tiring. I thought that since cousin Yu Zhen and Ling'er were also in the mansion, I would call them over to chat."

"Yes, yes, Your Highness the Crown Prince. This humble girl thinks that it's not a good thing for Sister Qingwu to lie in bed like this every day. Even a good person would be bored to death." At this time, Ling'er also spoke, her clear voice cheerful and excited.

However, Yu Zhen's face was not very good.

Seeing Ling'er interrupt, he quickly nudged her.

Ling'er didn't understand his hint and immediately glared at him, complaining unhappily, "Gongzi, why did you nudge me?"

Yu Zhen was already uneasy, and Ling'er's question made him wish he could just faint on the spot.

After a pause, he simply scolded Ling'er, "Ling'er, His Royal Highness the Crown Prince and the Crown Princess are speaking. How can you interrupt?"

Hearing this, Ling'er looked displeased and was about to say that she and Yu Qingwu were family, and she could also be considered family with Xie Jin Yan.

But the words were on the tip of her tongue when Yu Zhen's displeased gaze forced her to swallow them back.

Seeing that the atmosphere was really a bit awkward, Xie Jin Yan took the lead in breaking the deadlock, appearing magnanimous and smiling, "It doesn't matter. There are no outsiders here. Since you are A'wu's relatives, there's no need to be restrained."

"That's right, look, His Royal Highness the Crown Prince doesn't mind." Seeing Xie Jin Yan 'help' her speak, Ling'er immediately became proud again and made a face at Yu Zhen.

Looking at her wanton appearance, Yu Zhen's heart was about to jump out. Yu Qingwu also frowned slightly.

After thinking about it, she gave Yu Zhen a look and said, "Yu Zhen gege, I suddenly remembered that I have something to say to His Highness. You and Ling'er should go back first."

"Okay, then this commoner will take his leave." As soon as Yu Qingwu told him to leave, Yu Zhen immediately breathed a sigh of relief and quickly pulled Ling'er to salute Xie Jin Yan again.

Xie Jin Yan still maintained the demeanor of a crown prince, nodded lightly to Yu Zhen, and said with a smile, "Okay, then Gongzi Yu should rest well. If you lack anything, just tell the butler."

"Yes, yes, yes, thank you for Your Royal Highness the Crown Prince's care." Yu Zhen said with a smile, and exited the warm pavilion.

Ling'er seemed to want to say something, but before she could open her mouth, Yu Zhen pulled her away.

Xie Jin Yan stood beside Yu Qingwu, watching the receding figures of the two, before sitting back beside Yu Qingwu. He reached out and pulled the blanket over her legs, then looked at the door again, smiling as he asked her, "Shijie, don't you think that the girl beside Gongzi Yu Zhen looks like someone?"

"Is Your Highness trying to say that she looks like A'yue?" Yu Qingwu curled her lips and also looked deeply at the now empty doorway, sighing, "Ling'er, that girl, doesn't have many bad intentions, but now her thoughts are indeed a little skewed. I think it's because I became the Crown Princess. She secretly thought she had found a backer and that perhaps she could take a shortcut from me."

"I guess she probably wanted to take the opportunity to ask Your Highness to give my cousin Yu Zhen an official position."

His shijie was indeed intelligent.

Xie Jin Yan chuckled lightly, picked up the teacup on the small table, took a sip, and nodded, "I guessed so too. In fact, when I sent Feng Yuan to pick them up to the Crown Prince's residence, that girl hinted at Feng Yuan, but Feng Yuan ignored her."

"However… your cousin, I think, seems to be a promising talent. Although he's a little timid and slick, he can be considered capable and of upright character. I heard that his business in Qingzhou is not small. Logically speaking, he originally didn't need to wade into this muddy water, but after learning that you were going to sue the Shen family, he still came to Kyoto with Yu Qi. And even after being troubled by the Prefect of the Jingzhao Prefecture and beaten half to death, he didn't want to give up."

"Throughout history, there are very few commoners who can withstand the torment and go to the end when suing officials. Your cousin didn't even cry out when he was beaten that day, which shows that although he looks timid, he's a tough nut to crack."

"Hasn't His Royal Highness the Crown Prince ever thought that cousin Yu Zhen might… be sure that I would help him precisely because he knew I had become the Crown Princess?"

"And deliberately taking this opportunity to curry favor with you?"

It wasn't that Yu Qingwu was overthinking things, although there was nothing wrong with Yu Zhen wanting to seek a future for himself, but it should be known that what the Emperor feared most was the power of his relatives.

Xie Jin Yan was also quite wary of these things. It would be fine if it was his gege, but now that he had become a eunuch, he couldn't have any thoughts of rebellion, but it was different for Yu Zhen.

Thinking of this, Yu Qingwu felt even more uneasy. After thinking for a while, she gently asked Xie Jin Yan, "What does Your Highness mean by asking me these questions? Do you intend to use cousin Yu Zhen? Or are you testing me?"

Testing?

Eh, she thought he was asking her those questions because he suspected her?

Suspected that she would secretly open the back door for Yu Zhen?

What on earth was this woman thinking?

Xie Jin Yan rested his cheek on his hand on the small table, suddenly leaned closer to her, and said, "Shijie, you don't think I'm afraid you'll secretly give Yu Zhen a shortcut, buying and selling official positions or something, do you?"