Your Highness, please stop chasing me.

Mu Xue glanced at her hand that was being held, then at Ye Shangyuan's profile, and lowered her head to smile silently.

This old man is so pretentious. If he wants to hold hands, he should just say so. Why does he have to make up an excuse?

"Hey, Ye Shangyuan, I haven't agreed to date you yet! How can you hold my hand?" Mu Xue teased.

Ye Shangyuan turned around, touched her brow with the finger of his other hand, and said softly, "You have no manners. You can't even call me Brother A-Yuan anymore?"

Mu Xue said defiantly, "Ye Shangyuan, Ye Shangyuan, I'll call you Ye Shangyuan, what about it?"

"Whatever you want, as long as it's Mu Mu calling me that, I'll think it sounds nice." Ye Shangyuan pulled Mu Xue forward without turning his head.

"Ye Shangyuan, why don't you refer to yourself as 'this king' anymore?" Mu Xue suddenly noticed and asked curiously.

Upon hearing this, Ye Shangyuan stopped, catching Mu Xue off guard, who nearly bumped into him.

Ye Shangyuan reached out and caught Mu Xue in time.

"Why did you suddenly stop?" Mu Xue asked, annoyed.

“In front of you, I am Ye Shangyuan, not the Regent of Xiyu Kingdom, so I am who I am, and naturally there is no need for me to refer to myself as ‘this king’,” Ye Shangyuan said, looking at Mu Xue with a serious expression.

Sensing Ye Shangyuan's seriousness, Mu Xue abandoned her intention to tease him. She stared blankly at Ye Shangyuan.

I was once again taken aback by the seriousness in his eyes.

She suddenly asked, "Are you serious? Have you seriously considered wanting to be with me?"

Ye Shangyuan nodded firmly and replied, "Yes, Mu Mu, you are the only person I have ever truly loved in this life."

"But, Ye Shangyuan, I have many flaws. I may not be destined to stay in my boudoir like a well-bred lady, peacefully waiting for you to return. What I want is a lifetime of monogamy. Can you give me that?" Mu Xue's expression was serious and genuine. She looked directly at Ye Shangyuan and asked.

Actually, she regretted it as soon as she said it.

In ancient times, it was perfectly normal for men to have multiple wives and concubines. She had never intended to marry herself off, but after meeting Ye Shangyuan, she suddenly felt a surge of impulses. She suddenly wanted to hear Ye Shangyuan's answer and wanted to try dating him.

Mu Xue secretly felt that Ye Shangyuan was different from others, unlike any other man she had ever met. So, she asked him.

When Ye Shangyuan heard Mu Xue's question, his heart pounded like a drum, as if it were about to leap out of his chest.

Seeing that Ye Shangyuan did not answer, Mu Xue smiled awkwardly and said, "Never mind, it's not important. Let's hurry up and see Manager Liu, so he won't be waiting."

Mu Xue tried to pull Ye Shangyuan forward, but Ye Shangyuan stood still and didn't move. Mu Xue was caught off guard and was pulled back by him instead.

Mu Xue stumbled and fell into Ye Shangyuan's arms. When she looked up, she saw Ye Shangyuan staring at her intently.

As she tried to get up, she heard Ye Shangyuan's voice above her: "Mu Mu, I don't need a lady from a prominent family who can stay in her boudoir as my wife. I, Ye Shangyuan, will only marry the woman I love and be with her for life."

Upon hearing this, Mu Xue stared blankly at Ye Shangyuan, forgetting that she was still in his arms.

Looking at the adorable Mu Xue, Ye Shangyuan couldn't help but reach out and pinch her still slightly chubby face.

Instantly, Mu Xue felt a scorching heat wave rush to her head, and her face flushed red.

She looked up, about to ask Ye Shangyuan to release her, when she noticed a faint pink tinge at the tips of his ears. She couldn't resist reaching out and gently pinching them. His ears turned even redder. As if discovering something amazing, she exclaimed, "Ye Shangyuan, your ears are red! Are you shy?"

With a "pfft," Mu Xue quickly pushed Ye Shangyuan away, interrupting the two who were embracing each other.

Ye Shangyuan shot a dagger at Leng Quan and flew to her side.

It turned out that Leng Quan happened to be passing by and overheard people talking, so he stopped to take a look out of curiosity. Unexpectedly, he overheard his prince confessing his love to Mu Xue, and he couldn't help but laugh out loud.

Sensing something was wrong, Leng Quan turned and ran, shouting as he ran, "I didn't hear anything, I didn't see anything!"

Mu Xue closed her eyes and rubbed her forehead. Leng Quan must have left his brain behind today.

Watching Leng Quan run away, Ye Shangyuan felt ashamed to have such a subordinate.

He whispered, "Reiichi is usually quite reliable when it comes to getting things done."

"Ye Shangyuan, have you ever thought about having someone else serve you?" Mu Xue asked.

“...I didn’t before, but now I’m starting to think about it,” Ye Shangyuan said.

Mu Xue laughed, not in a very kind way.

When the two arrived at the front hall, they saw Liu Ming fidgeting and constantly looking out the door.

Upon seeing the two approaching, he hurriedly stood up, bowed, and said, "Your Highness, Miss Mu."

Ye Shangyuan walked to his seat and asked, "What brings Manager Liu to see me and Miss Mu?"

Without wasting words, Liu Ming directly recounted to the two of them the conversation he had overheard that morning between Ren Yuan and the young medicine boy. Finally, he added, "Miss Mu, Ren Yuan should have already arrived at Shenjing Lane to inquire about you. You asked me about Wang Chi before, and his arrival in Yu Nan City at this time seems very suspicious to me, so I rushed over to find you."

"Wang Chi is at the Jing Prince's residence?" Mu Xue asked, exchanging a glance with Ye Shangyuan. She knew that Wang Chi was working with Mo Shijie to cause trouble for her.

She never expected that Wang Chi would come to Yu Nan City in person.

A sudden surge of anger rose within her. She thought of Granny Kang, who had not yet been buried, and of Su Su and Wang Heping, whose whereabouts were unknown.

She looked at Ye Shangyuan and asked, "They met at Meiwuju. Can I go and meet that Wang Chi?"

“Mu Mu can go wherever she wants. I’ll take care of everything here,” Ye Shangyuan said.

He then said to Liu Ming, "Manager Liu did a good job this time. There's no need to keep an eye on Ren Yuan. With his skills, you're no match for him. Once he leaves the Treasure Pavilion, just send someone to inform him."

Ye Shangyuan had already sent people to investigate Ren Yuan's background, but no one knew where he had gone during the years he was away from the capital. These past few years had made Ye Shangyuan very uneasy. He always felt that something was wrong with Ren Yuan.

Not long after Manager Liu returned to the Treasure Pavilion, Ren Yuan also returned looking dejected. He went back to his room without saying a word and locked himself inside until dark.

Ren Yuan was filled with remorse in his room. He never expected that a casual mention to his godfather would not only lead to the death of Granny Kang, but also cause Mu Xue to disappear.

He thought of his godfather, a schoolteacher in a small village in Dongli Kingdom. Why would he care about the ancient medicine of Xiyu Kingdom?

When Wang Chi arrived in Yu Nan City and stayed at the Jing Prince's Mansion, he thought of Mu Xue's disappearance. He sat up abruptly on the bed, walked quickly to the table, picked up a pen, wrote a letter, and quietly sent it out of Yu Nan City.