Mistakenly recognized as a cousin, thousands of pampered

Three days later, in the court, Shen Zhiyi presented the evidence of Prince Shou's rebellion and the creation of the plague to the emperor one by one, and stated that many key pieces of evidence were obtained at the cost of Tao Hongyuan's life.

Prince Shou and the current Majesty are brothers. Although Your Majesty is deeply saddened by his rebellion, he cannot bear to kill him out of consideration for their family ties, so he decides to imprison Prince Shou for life.

The evidence collected by Tao Hongyuan this time was crucial to this incident. It not only clearly showed that Prince Shou was plotting rebellion, but also recorded several ministers who had interacted with Prince Shou.

Tao Hongyuan made great contributions and was promoted to the rank of prefect.

For a seventh-rank county magistrate, such a speed of promotion is rare.

Since Tao Hongyuan arrived, Tao Jiuxi's time with Shen Zhiyi has become increasingly less. Shen Zhiyi is busy with the follow-up matters of the plague case, and often when he returns home, Tao Jiuxi has already rested.

Recently, he no longer sneaks into Tao Jiuxi's boudoir at night as he used to. Now that Tao Hongyuan has settled down in the mansion, he feels that they have a long time to go together, so they should be more well-behaved now. In this way, marrying Tao Jiuxi in the future will be smoother.

On the fifteenth day of the first lunar month, the Lantern Festival is held, with lights on and the atmosphere extremely lively.

"Girl, why don't we go to East Street instead of West Street?"

Mu'er held a candied haws in her hand, eating it with relish and asked curiously.

"West Street is also very lively. Let's shop here first and then go to East Street." Tao Jiuxi responded softly.

"As long as you buy food for Mu'er, you can shop for as long as you want."

"Buy whatever you want, girl, I have plenty of money."

Shen Zhiyi was invited to a banquet in the palace today, and he could only meet her after the banquet was over.

Of course, the most important reason for coming to West Street was to keep the promise made years ago. Tao Jiuxi quietly sneaked into the study today, took Xie Jinghe's jade pendant, and wanted to return it to Xie Jinghe on West Back Street.

The master and servant walked and stopped along the way, enjoying delicious food and buying things, and soon they arrived at Xihou Street.

At this time, Mu'er was already holding many new and interesting gadgets that she had bought on the road.

Tao Jiuxi saw a figure standing there quietly from a distance. She told Mu'er to wait in the alley and said she would be back soon.

Tao Jiuxi looked around cautiously, repeatedly confirming that no one was following him, and then he walked forward with confidence.

"Thank you, sir. Have a happy Lantern Festival." Tao Jiuxi bowed slightly, his voice as clear and sweet as a silver bell.

"Miss Tao, I wish you a happy Lantern Festival and peace every year." Xie Jinghe bowed in return, his manners as elegant as orchid.

Tao Jiuxi did not waste any time and directly took out the jade pendant from the pouch on his waist and handed it to Xie Jinghe.

"Thank you, Master, for taking a look. I'll return your pendant to you intact."

Upon hearing this, Xie Jingyan reached out to take the purse, but did not open it.

Today, Tao Jiuxi is wearing a bright red dress with a pure white cloak on the outside. The soft fur collar tightly surrounds her little face, making her look even more charming and lovely.

In the past, she was already a stunning beauty even without makeup, but today she was obviously dressed up carefully and looked particularly dazzling.

"Mr. Xie, what's wrong? Is there something on my face?" Seeing Xie Jinghe staring at him in a daze, Tao Jiuxi waved his hand gently in front of him.

Xie Jinghuan quickly retracted his thoughts and said, "No, Miss Tao's makeup today is really unique."

Being praised by such a handsome young man, Tao Jiuxi couldn't help feeling a little shy, and her cheeks instantly turned red, as charming as the sunset in the sky.

"Thank you for your compliment, sir. I have returned the jade pendant to you. We no longer owe each other anything." After Tao Jiuxi finished speaking, he bowed and prepared to leave.

When Xie Jingyan saw Tao Jiuxi was about to leave, he became anxious and quickly reached out to grab her arm.

Tao Jiuxi stopped immediately, and when he looked back at him, Xie Jinghuan had already let go of Tao Jiuxi in panic.

A trace of embarrassment and regret flashed across his face because of his abrupt action. He was afraid that his behavior would cause Tao Jiuxi's disgust.

"Miss Tao, it's still early today, why don't we enjoy the lanterns together? There are many lantern riddle shops on West Street, which are very interesting. How about we go shopping together?" Xie Jinghe's eyes were full of anticipation.

"Go for a walk?" Tao Jiuxi muttered to himself, why does it take time to get the pendant?

She didn't even ask for the divination fee.

"Miss Tao, would you please do me the honor?" Xie Jinghe extended the invitation sincerely again, his eyes fixed on Tao Jiuxi.

However, Tao Jiuxi remained unmoved.

"I'm sorry, Master Xie, but my cousin and I have an appointment to meet later in East Street. I'm only here to return your jade pendant. Also, there are differences between men and women, and on this festive day, it's not appropriate for Master Xie and I to enjoy the lanterns together."

Her tone was firm yet tactful, expressing her own position without embarrassing Xie Jinghuan too much.

Tao Jiuxi didn't dare to stay any longer.

The jade pendant has been returned, so she has to leave quickly. Now that Shen Zhiyi is in Beijing, she must be careful and not be discovered.

After she finished speaking, she was about to leave, but when she turned around, Xie Jinghuan pulled her back.

Tao Jiuxi frowned slightly, feeling a little annoyed. She didn't understand why Xie Jinghuan was so persistent.

She struggled to break free from Xie Jinghuan's hand, with a hint of vigilance in her eyes.

"Master Xie, please respect yourself. I have clearly rejected you. I hope you will not pester me any further."

"Miss Tao, I have no ill intentions, I just have a few words to say to you."

"Just say it here."

"Miss Tao, my father came home a few days ago and said that he saw my uncle in the palace. I also confirmed with my mother that his two nieces are named Tao Qingwan and Tao Jiuxi." Xie Jinghe explained eagerly, his eyes full of anticipation for Tao Jiuxi's response.

When Tao Jiuxi heard this, he felt that the world was incredibly small.

This Mr. Xie of the "Jing" generation is indeed her cousin who has no blood relationship with her.

However, she couldn't recognize him easily at that moment, so she could only feign confusion: "Xie Gongsun, I don't know how you learned my eldest sister's maiden name, but I guess there is a misunderstanding."

"But Miss Tao is from Shuzhou? If you don't believe me, I can take you to see my mother and ask her to verify it."

Xie Jinghuan was anxious, his handsome face filled with worry. He felt he had to make things clear and not let Tao Jiuxi be kept in the dark.

Tao Jiuxi didn't dare to stay any longer, nor did he want to recognize Xie Jinghe at this time.

"Thank you, sir. I have something else to do today, so I'll take my leave." After saying that, she turned around and was about to leave.

Xie Jinghuan refused to let go of his hand. His strength was not great, but it was very firm.

"Miss Tao, you may have been deceived. I am your cousin."

"Think about it again. We met when we were young. Have you forgotten? I am Brother Jinghuan." His voice was full of memories, as if trying to awaken Tao Jiuxi's dormant memories.

He had seen Shen Zhiyi's house, and the name on it was clearly written as Xie Mansion.

I wonder if there is some misunderstanding hidden in the middle.

"Miss Tao, there must be something fishy going on here. Duke Shen might have ulterior motives. You must not be deceived by him."

Seeing she couldn't break free, Tao Jiuxi grew increasingly anxious. She knew she couldn't continue in this stalemate, so she finally said, "I'll ask my father for confirmation."

After hearing this, Xie Jinghuan slowly let go of Tao Jiuxi.

"Miss Tao, you must verify it as soon as possible and don't let yourself be deceived for too long. I'll be waiting for you."

Tao Jiuxi left in a hurry, leaving Xie Jinghuan standing there, looking at her back, unable to let go for a long time.

If Tao Jiuxi was deceived, it would not happen in a day or two, so it would not hurt for him to wait a few more days.

At first, Tao Jiuxi tried hard to maintain a dignified and elegant posture, and slowly walked towards the alley where Mu'er was.

After she was sure that Xie Jinghuan could no longer see her from this angle, her expression immediately changed and she eagerly grabbed Mu'er and ran away.

While running, Tao Jiuxi had a lot of thoughts in his mind.

She couldn't help but think that good-looking people also have good-looking troubles.

I had lived for more than 20 years before I traveled through time, and I had never been harassed by anyone.

Xie Jinghuan's performance today clearly showed that he was interested in her.

But Tao Jiuxi could only sigh inwardly, he was too late.