She gently swept her peripheral vision over the person beside her.

The poem he wrote during the spring outing, though its meaning was obscure, was indeed a love poem. Among so many people on that trip, Meng Jun had given this poem only to her for appreciation.

Wei Yunruo wasn’t stupid. A few days ago, she pretended not to notice, just to see how much the Empress trusted Meng Jun.

Now, many important officials in Jiangnan had fallen, all thanks to Meng Jun – the Deputy Censor-in-chief of the Censorate.

Wei Yunruo, newly entered into the court, naturally needed the shade of a big tree.

Over the years, there had been quite a few men showing interest in her, but looking at their backgrounds, the handsome young gentleman before her was still the best choice.

For a woman like her who had climbed up from the bottom, when choosing a husband, she naturally had to choose someone who was pleasing to the eye and could also be of help.

“Official Wei is already ill, actually I can go alone.”

After all, it was already bright daylight. The young gentleman tied his bundle tightly and shook his head, “Moreover, Official Wei has already helped me a lot, now there’s just this hilltop left.”

He said with great certainty, “As long as I search carefully, I’m sure I can find her. Official Wei need not worry!”

Every time the young gentleman mentioned Li Ruantang’s name, those beautiful phoenix eyes would sparkle, as if studded with the Milky Way.

Wei Yunruo frowned slightly, glancing thoughtfully at the nearby forest. But in an instant, she returned to her usual smiling demeanor, “Since Wei was entrusted by Han Fushi to come and find people, I won’t let Young Master face danger alone. Besides, I’m a woman, how could I be so delicate? It’s just a minor cold, it’s nothing.”

With that, she stood up first, pointing to the dense forest ahead, “This area has many trees with thick trunks. If it were me, I would probably have hidden here. Shall we start from here?”

Wei Yunruo walked ahead with her hands behind her back, shaking her head at Eighteen who was following, “You all take a rest, I’ll accompany Young Master Meng.”

She turned sideways and made a gesture of invitation. Meng Jun nodded and didn’t refuse anymore.

He was in a hurry to find someone, and indeed didn’t have time to waste on formalities.

After searching for a night, the young gentleman had figured out that the fierce mudslide had mostly come down from the bare mountain inside, and apart from the rain making the ground slippery and difficult to walk on, the forests on both sides hadn’t been much affected.

He supported himself on the tree trunks along the way, his tired phoenix eyes meticulously scanning every spot within sight.

The hem of his frost-colored clothes had long been muddied beyond recognition, not to mention that the young gentleman was unfamiliar with mountain paths and had stumbled and fallen several times.

Now he looked all dusty, only his eyes still shining brightly.

Wei Yunruo walked in front, carefully flattening the wild grass for him while keeping her hand hovering near Meng Jun’s sleeve.

“Young Master Meng.”

As they went deeper into the vast forest, Wei Yunruo suddenly spoke, turning her face to look at him, “Here—”

“What?”

She was extremely close, startling the young gentleman, who stopped in his tracks.

“I mean you have mud on your face.” Wei Yunruo smiled slightly, pointing to her own cheek, “Look, right here.”

She looked confidently at the suddenly frozen Meng Jun.

Indeed, all men fall for this trick.

Wei Yunruo sneered inwardly. Her turning posture, the closeness of her approach, even the curve of her smile, had all been carefully calculated to perfection.

The young man before her, as she had predicted, had a faint blush spreading across his handsome face, not to mention those phoenix eyes that were so good at captivating people, now filled with tenderness.

Wei Yunruo raised her eyebrows triumphantly, coughed lightly a few times, and was about to take out her handkerchief from her sleeve.

The young gentleman, who had been frozen in place just a moment ago, suddenly burst into joyful excitement, “Official Wei, look, Li Ruantang really is in this forest.”

Ignoring his exhaustion, Meng Jun lifted his skirts and quickly moved past her, running towards an ancient, lush green tree on the mountain path ahead.

He stood on tiptoe, reaching for a piece of brocade fabric carefully tied to a tree branch.

The young gentleman was very familiar with this color and texture.

Wuu, she’s really still alive!

Tears slid gently from his sour eyes, the young gentleman crying with hiccups, but the corners of his lips were turned up high, his slender fingers tightly gripping the mark she had left behind.

“Official Wei!” The young gentleman secretly wiped away his tears, turning his head happily, “Could you please send more maids to search this forest carefully? She’s here!”

“Of course.” Wei Yunruo nodded, but not as gently as before.

But after all, Meng Jun was still the legitimate son of Madam Meng, so she still had to give him some face.

She curled her fingers, making a very short whistle. Soon, there were rustling sounds coming from the forest.

The young gentleman was about to happily search further inside. His sleeve tightened, as he was gently held back by Wei Yunruo.

“Official Wei?”

“Please forgive Wei for being presumptuous.” Wei Yunruo cupped her hands and released that frost-colored sleeve, smiling, “It’s just that Wei sees that Young Master is inexperienced in the world, and can’t help but worry. Although it’s to repay a life-saving debt, Young Master still needs to consider Madam Meng’s situation more.”

“My mother? What… what happened to her?”

Could it be that she was robbed? All kinds of guesses flooded Meng Jun’s mind.

Seeing that the young man before her had finally shown some doubt, Wei Yunruo shook her head, “The situation in the court changes rapidly. One small mistake, and a high tower can become flat ground in the blink of an eye.”

“Madam Meng has been inspecting outside for a long time, and information exchange is mostly limited.”

Wei Yunruo sighed lightly, “When Young Lady Li first returned to the capital, she was indeed deeply favored by Her Majesty. However, how can we casually guess the imperial heart?”

“Wei, though untalented, has heard some very unfavorable news about Young Lady Li these past two days.”

Wei Yunruo briefly glanced at the now visibly anxious Meng Jun, and said in a low voice, “I heard that Young Lady Li might only be able to continue as a Young Lady.”

“Eh?”

Her words left the young gentleman completely confused. Li Ruantang was indeed already a Young Lady, but his mother had said that after Li Ruantang’s nineteenth birthday, she would be officially granted the title of Prince Sujin.

If she could only remain a Young Lady…

In a flash of insight, Meng Jun suddenly realized, didn’t that mean the Empress was preparing to deal with the Li family?