A short night is hard to please! A stunningly handsome prince dotes on her exclusively.

"He's gone? What did that hero look like? Was he handsome?"

"Silence, does it matter whether that great hero is good-looking or not?"

"Of course it's important! If it's a young and good-looking guy who's so righteous in helping you, you can become friends. If it's a middle-aged man, well... it's only right to give him some money as a token of gratitude."

"..."

"..."

The brother and sister were speechless again. Did this hero differentiate between age and appearance and treat them differently?

Xin Moling calmed herself down, pulled her to sit down, and asked seriously, "Yan'er, didn't you realize who the thief who kidnapped you today was?"

She shook her head. The young master Xuanyuan said he wasn't from Yuanqi, but Cailian didn't say she knew anyone from another country!

"Very well, Yan'er, you must not run around recklessly from now on. The security of the capital has always been the sole responsibility of Yuan Huailie. Tomorrow morning, I will definitely report him to His Majesty for lax management. Fortunately, Yan'er is not seriously injured at the moment, otherwise, I would never have let Yuan Huailie off easily."

Xin Moling grew increasingly angry as she spoke, her tone turning colder, leaving Yuan Huailie bewildered. What did this have to do with Prince Lie? Moreover, those assassins seemed to be foreigners, and Yuan Huailie couldn't stop foreigners from coming to Yuanqi.

"Brother, this doesn't seem to have anything to do with Prince Lie, does it?"

"Yan Yan, your brother said that Prince Lie is in charge of the security of the capital. In broad daylight, you, a princess, were kidnapped in the street. It is clear that Prince Lie is not managing the situation well. Hey~ Aren't you very familiar with that Prime Minister? His civil officials' remonstrances are more convincing. Xin Moling, why don't you join forces with that Prime Minister to impeach Prince Lie tomorrow morning!"

Xin Moyan's lips twitched instantly. Many times, she felt that Buyu was just watching the show and didn't care if things got too complicated.

Xin Moling also glanced at her with utter contempt. In matters of the court, it was not a matter of who had a good relationship with whom and could then join forces to offer advice.

Furthermore, he was a military general, while Lou Shenghan was a civil official. Throughout history, the most taboo thing has always been collusion between civil and military officials.

"Alright, I have my own plans. By the way, Yan'er, are you going to Chunyi Pavilion again tomorrow? Well then, after I finish court tomorrow, I will personally accompany you. Yan'er, don't go out alone in the future."

“Brother, by the time you finish court, it will be almost noon! Besides, my painting only needs coloring, and it needs more detailed work and a long drying time. Half a day is definitely not enough.”

Hua Buyu leaned closer to the two of them and asked curiously, "Yan Yan, why did you suddenly start learning to paint?"

"My aunt's birthday is in two days. I have never been good at anything and don't know what gift to give her. So I simply went to learn to paint for two days and made a Bodhisattva portrait to give to my aunt."

She nodded approvingly, then said, "Hmm~ My Yan Yan is so filial. But, isn't your aunt... the current Empress Dowager?"

"Yes!"

“I heard that a grand birthday banquet for the Empress Dowager is being held in the palace in a few days. It must be a lot of fun. I’d like to go and see it.”

She shook Xin Moyan's arm, pouted, and looked pitifully at the brother and sister.

"No! The palace is heavily guarded; how dare you commoners go there?"

Xin Moling rejected Hua Buyu without even thinking, which made Hua Buyu extremely frustrated.

"Yan Yan, I want to go too!"

"This……"

Xin Moyan hesitated. She also wanted to take Buyu to visit the palace, but after all, it wasn't her home, and there were many palace rules. What if she offended some big shot and her emperor cousin wanted to chop off Buyu's head in a fit of anger?

"Enough, Hua Buyu. I suspect you deliberately approached Yan'er to gain entry into the palace. Confess honestly, are you plotting something?"

Xin Moling narrowed his eyes slightly, his gaze full of scrutiny, and the atmosphere around him suddenly became heavy, staring at Hua Buyu with a fierce aura.

"Damn it! Xin Moling, I've never been to the palace, does that mean I can't be curious? Why are you accusing me all the time today? Besides, just because you're the Empress Dowager's nephew doesn't make you so great. You're always fantasizing about others plotting against you, are you out of your mind?"

"Flowers do not speak!"

He roared in anger, startling everyone in the hall. Even Xin Moyan, who had never seen her brother so furious before, quickly tugged at Hua Buyu's sleeve, signaling her to stop talking.

"I'm not deaf!"

"Such rudeness and disrespect, I will make sure Yan'er breaks off all ties with you."

Hua Buyu wasn't afraid of his anger; instead, she pouted and spoke in a casual, roguish tone.

"Hmph! You think you can just break off our friendship like that? Yan Yan won't listen to you. But you don't need to be angry. If Yan Yan didn't want to go to the palace to play, I wouldn't want to go see that dilapidated palace! If you, her brother, were reliable, Yan Yan wouldn't have encountered danger time and time again. If you don't want to go, then you don't have to go!"

Hearing her words, Xin Moling's anger gradually subsided. Hua Buyu was right. It was precisely because he had not been by Yan'er's side all these years that she had suffered a lot of bullying and had almost been killed today. It seemed that he should stay by Yan'er's side every step of the way from now on.

Thinking of this, Xin Moling turned to his younger sister and said, "Yan'er, I won't go to the morning court tomorrow. Since your painting is not yet ready to be colored, I will accompany you to Chunyi Pavilion tomorrow. From now on, I will always protect you."

"Oh? No need, no need, brother, you don't need to skip the morning court session just for me. I'll just do it tomorrow, and the painting will be done!"

"No! My mind is made up. Tomorrow, I will have a carriage prepared, and when you get up in the morning, I will accompany you there."

Xin Moyan smiled bitterly. How did the topic turn into going to Chunyi Pavilion tomorrow?

Moreover, if my brother sees Fu Chen tomorrow and discovers that this 'white-haired, youthful-looking' old painter is actually a young and handsome man, and that they have been in the same room for the past two days, wouldn't my brother be very angry?

Having witnessed her brother's anger today, she couldn't help but feel a little uneasy. She whispered, "Brother, Yan'er can just have a few more guards accompany me tomorrow. It's more important for you to go to court."

“No! If it weren’t for Aunt’s birthday approaching and Yan’er being too careful, and being frightened today, I wouldn’t have allowed Yan’er to go out again. Since that’s the case, then I have to stay by her side so that I can feel at ease.”

Seeing her brother's resolute attitude, Xin Moyan had no choice but to obediently agree, hoping that her brother wouldn't be angry when she saw Fu Chen tomorrow.

Hua Buyu sat to the side, thoughtfully observing her. Yan Yan's expression and her repeated attempts to refuse Xin Moling's advance must be suspicious!

"Yan Yan, what a coincidence! I was just thinking of finding a famous painter to paint a portrait of me to hang in my room! Yan Yan, do you have any recommendations for a master painter?"

"Uh... this..."

She wanted to introduce Fu Chen to Buyu, but she wanted to wait a few days. If her brother and Buyu went together tomorrow, wouldn't the scene be even more chaotic?

She was a little worried...