Shen Xiaoyan suddenly reacted, chasing after Zheng Wei with superhuman speed and embracing him from behind.
"Don't go."
Her voice was tinged with tears.
"Mimi, don't cry, I'll find him for you."
Shen Xiaoyan held onto Zheng Wei, unwilling to let go. After a long while, Zheng Wei heard her whisper, "Don't leave me."
Zheng Wei held Shen Xiaoyan's hand and asked her to let go for a moment.
When Zheng Wei turned around, he directly pulled Shen Xiaoyan into his embrace. "How could I leave you? I just don't want to see you sad, so I wanted to find Xiaoming for you first."
Shen Xiaoyan shook her head forcefully in Zheng Wei's arms. "No need to go."
Zheng Wei was a little surprised to hear Shen Xiaoyan refuse. She was clearly so upset, yet why wasn't she asking him to look for Shen Xiaoming?
Shen Xiaoyan tried her best to calm her emotions before saying to Zheng Wei, "I'm upset because Xiaoming has grown up and doesn't need me as his sister anymore. But I can't keep him by my side just because I can't bear for him to leave."
"If that were the case, wouldn't I be more childish than him?"
As she spoke, Shen Xiaoyan couldn't help but laugh first.
Seeing Shen Xiaoyan smile through her tears, Zheng Wei's heavy burden instantly disappeared.
"Slap."
The sound of a slap was exceptionally loud in the quiet room.
Shen Xiaoyan glared at Zheng Wei with a blushing face. "How could you spank me?"
Zheng Wei said with a stern face, "To teach you a lesson, so you won't dare to do that again and scare me."
Hearing Zheng Wei say this, Shen Xiaoyan, who knew she was in the wrong, stuck out her tongue and said no more.
She still felt a little melancholic, hoping Shen Xiaoming would be safe.
Although Shen Xiaoming had started cultivating, his age was still a factor. People's hearts could be malicious, and she didn't know if he would suffer a loss.
Guessing what Shen Xiaoyan was thinking, Zheng Wei, afraid she would overthink things, quickly spoke to comfort her. "You don't need to worry too much. Xiaoming is so smart and capable, it's not easy for ordinary people to deal with him."
Shen Xiaoyan nodded. It wasn't that she was completely relieved, but no matter how much she worried, it was useless; she would only be scaring herself.
It was better to just trust Shen Xiaoming.
Besides, how could one grow without suffering any losses?
The path to strength could never be smooth sailing.
Shen Xiaoyan no longer hesitated, and Zheng Wei let out a sigh of relief.
For the next two days, Zheng Wei constantly monitored Shen Xiaoyan's state, and finding that she had truly stopped dwelling on the matter, he finally felt at ease.
About five days later, Lin Xiaowei finally emerged from the palace again.
She arrived in a hurry. Upon entering, her face was full of urgency. Before anyone could speak, she said, "His Majesty is urgently waiting for me to take the holy water back, so I don't think I can stay long. If we have anything to discuss, we should do it quickly."
Looking at Lin Xiaowei's rushed demeanor, Yi Zixie suddenly smiled. "You must be confused, aren't you? You came to ask me, not the other way around. When you can take the holy water back is not up to you to decide."
Lin Xiaowei was stunned. It was true.
She helplessly touched her forehead, having been nagged by Sima Zhu.
Gently shaking her head to clear her thoughts, Lin Xiaowei then said with a smile, "I was confused just now. Please don't mind me. By the way, should we invite Prince Duan?"
Yi Zixie didn't answer her question, but glanced towards the back.
Lin Xiaowei found it strange but followed Yi Zixie's gaze and saw Zheng Xiang emerging from behind.
Upon seeing Lin Xiaowei, Zheng Xiang nodded slightly. "Greetings, Consort Yun."
Although Lin Xiaowei was displeased that Zheng Xiang did not formally bow to her, she understood.
Prince Duan held significant military power and was a prince of a different surname. If she were the Empress, it would be different, but as merely a consort, Prince Duan naturally wouldn't place much importance on her.
However, the fact that Zheng Xiang was willing to come showed that she still had some influence. Lin Xiaowei comforted herself this way and did not show any unhappiness on her face.
Since everyone was present and time was pressing, they wasted no more time. Lin Xiaowei quickly explained her thoughts to everyone.
Although Zheng Wei had previously said that Zheng Xiang didn't need to devise a plan, Zheng Xiang couldn't possibly follow everyone's arrangements in every matter, so he also offered his own ideas.
As for Yi Zixie and the others, they offered no opinions from beginning to end.
After discussing for about half an hour, they finally confirmed the plan. Lin Xiaowei then left with the porcelain bottle given by Sima Han.
Looking at the porcelain bottle in Lin Xiaowei's hand, Zheng Xiang's eyes flickered.
It seemed there was something he didn't know.
"Prince Duan, since the matter is concluded, you may leave. I'll see you at the Halloween celebration in half a month."
Zheng Wei's attempt to dismiss him did not surprise Zheng Xiang at all. He was too familiar with Zheng Wei's dislike for him.
However, having finally entered this manor today, how could he leave so easily?
Therefore, Zheng Xiang sat still and said with a smile, "Zheng Wei, invite your mother out. I have something to say to her."
Zheng Wei sneered, "Who do you think you are? You want to see my mother? Is my mother someone you can just meet?"
Zheng Xiang's face changed, but he quickly calmed down. "You haven't asked yet, how do you know your mother wouldn't want to see me?"
Zheng Wei merely looked at Zheng Xiang indifferently, offering no response, and had no intention of calling anyone.
After waiting a while longer and confirming that Zheng Wei wouldn't change his mind, Zheng Xiang had no choice but to say, "I have something to tell her about your father. Have her come out to see me."
Because of Zheng Xiang's words, Zheng Wei's pupils suddenly contracted. He looked at Zheng Xiang with disbelief. "What did you just say? Say it again."
Zheng Xiang was also startled by Zheng Wei's reaction and said with a stern face, "What are you doing?"
Realizing his gaffe, Zheng Wei felt some regret.
However, it wasn't entirely his fault. Zheng Xiang's words had indeed shocked him too much.
"Do you really know something about my father?"
Seeing the doubt in Zheng Wei's eyes, Zheng Xiang was indignant. "This Prince is not yet at the point of lying to see someone."
Seeing Zheng Xiang speak so confidently, Zheng Wei believed him by three parts.
He let out a sigh of relief, slowly sat back down, and said calmly, "In that case, you can tell me. Whatever you want, I believe I can decide."
Seeing that Zheng Wei still had no intention of calling Kong Huangwei, Zheng Xiang's face instantly turned dark.
All this talk for half a day was just a waste of breath.
"Since you're not calling your mother out today, I'll leave. When you want to know about your mother, come to Prince Duan's manor to find me."
With that, Zheng Xiang didn't delay any longer. He stood up and strode out.
Seeing this, Zheng Wei was about to stop him, but Shen Xiaoyan held him back.